


A SEA BETWEEN

by jazzyxwrites



Category: Bridgerton (TV), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Adam Driver - Freeform, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Arranged Marriage, Assault, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Attempted Sexual Assault, Bellatrix and Tom have a son together; called Andrew, Bridgerton, Daisy Ridley - Freeform, Daphne Bridgerton - Freeform, Do NOT sue me JK. I am POOR. POOR I tell you, Dom Draco, Dominant Draco, Draco has a twin brother, Draco is my second all time "villain", Draco x Female Reader, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Smut, Forced Marriage, Forced Relationship, GINNY IS NOT RON'S SISTER IN THIS I know it is confusing but I am a shitty writer remember?, HOLY GRAMMAR MISTAKES and I thought I was good In English. fml, Harry Potter AU, He will fall in love with her but slowly, Kylo Ren - Freeform, LOVE HIM, Loss of Virginity, My Theodore Nott looks like Adam Driver, NO BETA all my own dumb mistakes, Original Character(s), Please buy me a coffee, Reylo - Freeform, Sam Claflin - Freeform, Sirius Black has a daughter and wife in this, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Smut, The Malfoys are nice in this, Tom Felton was so goood as Draco Malfoy, Why did my parents not go the UK as immigrants, Why?, benedict bridgerton - Freeform, draco malfoy x original character, sirius black - Freeform, tom felton - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:28:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 15
Words: 77,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25369120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jazzyxwrites/pseuds/jazzyxwrites
Summary: Alternate HARRY POTTER UNIVERSEDraxo Malfoy x original character / but read as Y/N if you like. In order to stop the bloodshed between two neigbouring countries, divided by a sea in between, Mara Ravenclaw of Leidal is forcibly married off to the arrogant, spoiled and mean prince of Astella, Draco Malfoy. Mara and Draco must uphold a two year waiting period for they can divorce and negotations for independence for her country, Leidal are finished. Out of a sense of duty she complies but Draco is a horrible husband to Mara until things change...Mara falls in love with him but not long after she sees Draco kissing someone and Mara leaves Astella to go back to Leidal.Unfortunately Mara can't escape Draco for long because she receives an invitation to his twin brother's wedding, Dante Malfoy..The story begins with the wedding and then I'm going to write about happened in the 1 year or so PRIOR DAnte's wedding and how Draco and Mara slowly but surely fall in love.  For Tom Felton who was brilliant as Draco Malfoy.The story is mine but the HP characters belong to JK Rowling of course.IF YOU LIKE MY STORIES PLEASE: http://www.buymeacoffee.com/jazzyxwrites . I would much appreciate it.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Original Character(s), Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s), Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy, Luna Lovegood/Blaise Zabini
Comments: 84
Kudos: 60





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tom felton](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=tom+felton).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WRITERS NOTE:
> 
> I have done a (much needed btw holy crap) rewrite where I change from you-form to she-form.
> 
> This is not Draco x Reader anymore after the rewrite so I fixed the tags.
> 
> I apologize for the confusion if there are any weird pronoun changes, I will dutifully look for errors again and correct them.
> 
> I know this was meant to be Draco x reader but please still read as Y/N though.
> 
> This is your story if you want it to be.

Mara had read the invitation & the accompanying letter several times already but once more she had pulled the pieces of paper out of the envelope to read them again.

_You are cordially invited to the wedding of:_

**_ Dante Malfoy & Sophia Lionheart _ **

**_Date:_ **

_July 5th_.

**_Location:_ **

_ASTELLA, Arvendon Castle_

**_Address:_ **

_Sandlewood, Victoria Lane 6, PA3 1UB_

_*********************************_

_Dear Mara,_

_How are you?_

_I know things didn't end well with between you and Draco and I doubt that your feelings towards him have changed in these last couple of months. I am also fully aware of the fact that seeing him again might prove to be difficult for you._

_Therefore, I would completely understand if you refuse to attend butdo know your absence on this special day would not only sadden me but also Sophia since she is also fond of you._

_I meant what I said in my letter I wrote you a while ago, that I'd hoped we'd be able to keep contact. I always enjoyed our discussions about government, ethics and politics and it was a delight to spar with you regarding these subjects._

_I was less pleased at your ability to beat me at jeu de pame frequently, but I have forgiven you for that by now haha._

_Please come to my wedding, Mara. We would be delighted to have you._

**_With highest regards and my sincere feelings of friendship,_ **

_Dante Clementius Malfoy_

**_P.S. I'll make sure my nitwit twin brother doesn't bother you._ **

************************

She sighed. He was right about hernot wanting to see Draco again. She didn't want to be in the same country with him let alone be in the same venue for 8 hours, but this was Dante... He had been kind to her from the first step she had made in the castle and as the days and months went by Mara had developed a fondness towards him which was reciprocated.

Still staring at the invitation memories flooded her mind and she recalled what happened in the last 1,5 years. It was painful to recall and going back would be extremely painful but then Mara also remembered the kindness Dante and Sophia had showed her and she wrote back.

_Dear Dante,_

_I feel honoured that you have invited me even after not seeing you and Sophia for all these months nor replying to your letter. I am so sorry, I needed to take some time to process things but that does not excuse me being a bad friend. I would never miss your wedding! Cannot wait to see you both and celebrate,_

_All my love to both of you and see you soon,_

_Mara_

**************************

**DANTE'S WEDDING DAY**

Mara arrived after breakfast had taking place which she had purposely done so to avoid the crowd, the international guests coming from all over the world and to avoid him. Intend on limiting the possible 'contact points' between him and her throughout the day she'd figured that skipping the large breakfast banquet was a good idea.

Well, it seemed to be a good plan but when her stomach started to growl after not properly eating during her journey. She could never eat well while travelling by sea anyway, for the sea between Leidal and Astella was known to be rambunctious, causing Mara to get frequently sick when the waves clashed with each other at high speed.

Mara was secretly thankful she didn't have to go back the same day not that had been advised to you anyway for the sea got even more volatile at night. Hearing her stomach a few times the servant that brought her to your room asked inquired if she would like some breakfast and she immediately said yes.

He opened the door of her room, gave her the key, and said he would make sure you'd get some breakfast soon. Mara thanked him and looked around at your room and found it pleasant and comfortable not too big but not too small either.

As promised a servant brought breakfast, then went over to Mara's luggage, wanting to unpack and her things away. Mara declined politely and said you would rather unpack yourself to which she replied with "As you wish". She did however draw a bath for Mara to take later before she left.

After unpacking, Mara laid down on your bed to rest for an hour, not keen on leaving anytime soon or running into her "husband". She could also do without seeing his parents right now for even though she genuinely liked them, but Mara knew she had hurt their feelings when she left especially when doing so without notice.

Mara knew though she couldn't stay away too long. It would be soon time for the wedding ceremony, so she begrudgingly got up and took a bath. She was standing with a towel wrapped around her, looking at the two dresses she had brought along for the day, one was a pink, flowery and frilly dress that was also quite comfortable to wear, especially in this weather. It was already hot, and it wasn't even 11.00 yet.

Her second clothing of choice for the night was a beautiful deep regal dark blue nightgown, enriched with beautiful, embroidered stitching. The gown was stunning really, and she couldn't help but admire it.

There was a knock at the door and two servants said they were here to do her Make-up and hair as of request by the Queen and she reluctantly accepted. They fussed about for an hour or so and then herhad no proper excuse left to leave your room anymore.

Mara took two or three very deep breaths and tried to ignore your heart already beating faster and the uproar of anxiety in your stomach. As she locked her door she cautiously around to see if someone was approaching and luckily there wasn't.

She set to go to the main hall of the castle, a bit lost in your thoughts because Mara was desperately trying to calm your nerves which didn't work.

_Then she spotted him; approaching herfrom the other direction and felt unable to move._

_All she could do was look at him as rush of feelings and memories suddenly overwhelmed her._

He was standing at a considerable distance from her and had also stilled in his movement. He just stood there and not long after he sighed deeply. He was looking intently at her , his eyes communicating a wide variety of feelings at the same time, relief then guilt and sadness.

It was _too much_ for Mara to handle especially because when he started moving and walked over to you. Before she knew what she was doing she bolted before into the direction she had come from.

She heard him run after her and calling her name a few times, but she didn't stop until she got downstairs and nearly flew up the courtyard where all the other guests had already gathered for the upcoming ceremony. Upon realising people were looking at her and she was drawing up unwanted attention, Mara suddenly stopped.

"Ah Mara, _there_ you rare" her mother-in-law stated, approaching her with a smile, casually acting as if her had never left in the first place. She then reached out her arm to her daughter-in-law.

"I have some people I would like to introduce you o".

Mara turned around and saw an out of breath Draco walking towards her both. '

"Mother, I...", he said to which the Queen responded with a stern "Not now Draco".

The Queen whisked Mara f and introduced her to many guests before gently nudging her to a private corner of the courtyard. Narcissa Malfoy smiled and gave her a big hug saying it was so nice to see her again and the two of them embraced for a long time.

With tears coming down her cheeks Mara apologized for the way for her departure and the way she had handled things. Narcissa pulled away from herand wiped a tear from her face as well before speaking.

"No need to apologize. I completely understand, my dear", the Queen spoke. "I am glad you're here" she smiled, and Mara reciprocated the smile. Then Narcissa Malfoy's face wilted a little and doubt crept over it.

"Mara, I. I have a favour to ask of you", she said softly and looked at her anxiously. Mara was a bit confused and curious as to what the request would be but said she would do anything.

Narcissa then quickly explained that she hadn't quite broke the news of the impending divorce yet, that she knew it was wrong but wished not to have the divorce overcloud Dante's wedding celebration; so, the Kingdom had not communicated nothing to outside sources. As far as everyone knew Mara was back at Leidal because one of sisters was ill and she had wished to care for them.

Narcissa further stated that she knew Draco had been horrible to Mara, especially in the first months of your marriage and that she had reprimanded him for it but implored Mara to please pretend for one day that things were "normal". She didn't not want her daughter-in-law- to act lovey-dovey with her son, not at all but hoped they would act civil towards each other, at least in front of all these guests. At least for today.

Mara sighed, then nodded with a smile as an answer and immediately Narcissa's demeanour changed. The Queen felt relieved; now she could enjoy the day instead of having to worry about arguments breaking out.

Mara walked back together towards the front, right in time for the ceremony to start in the church nearby, next to the courtyard. She was seated by an usher and was the first one at the pew, moments later it got filled by two both sides of the hallway. Ultimately she had to scoot over and were suddenly sitting in the middle with people sitting on her left AND RIGHT.

It was a beautiful wedding ceremony and the guests cheered when the vows were exchanged, and the priest declared them to be married. When Sophia and Dante walked down the aisle, Dante spotted her and waved at her.

The bride and groom were closely followed by the bridesmaids and groomsmen and she could feel Draco's eyes bore into Mara's as he was approaching. She wanted to get up from the pew and go outside as quickly but unfortunately the people sitting next to her weren't so quick to move, were walking at a slow pace and she wanted them to move quicker! He was approaching her!

He ventured closer to where she was sitting by the second. She was finally nearly at the end of her pew and he was one away from hers. It was going to be niffy, but Mara thought she could get away from him if her were lucky. Finally, the last guest exited the pew and Mara hurriedly tried to walk away.

_She didn't not get extremely far unfortunately._

He had taken her left wrist and pulled her and it backwards, then shifted his hand to entangle it with hers. Her blood boiled at the brazen gesture and she tried to wriggle free but his grip on herhand was too strong so instead she looked furiously at him, before noticing people were watching and she saw the sad expression of your mother-in-law.

Without looking at her he had said "Hello my love", genuinely but that classic trademark smirk on his face.

"I am not your _LOVE_ ", she whispered at him angrily, still trying to hopelessly untie your hand from his, but he didn't budge. Of course, he noticed her second attempt to escape but it didn't amuse him.

"I know my mother has asked you to be civil for she talked to me as well, so I suggest we pretend to be happily married for one day _my love_ ", he sneered, still not looking at her though, ever tightening the grip on your hand.

" _Fine._ _I can do civil_... How are you, Draco?" and this time he turned his face to look to you.

"Never been more brilliant. Had an absolute blast these last months if you must know. Seeing the lovebirds (and he pointed to the married couple) daily in the process of planning their wedding **did** wonderful things for my disposition. It made me almost, almost forget that my wife had run away from me without ever giving me an opportunity to explain.", he said very sarcastically.

She didn't quite know what to say so she remained silent, partly due to feeling extremely uncomfortable and the incredible shyness that pestered her as a child rearing its ugly head again

"You were not at breakfast", he noted.

"I arrived later than expected", she replied softly.

"Aah of course, anything to _avoid me_." Mara was going to protest that he had nothing to with coming later but she knew it was a lie so again opted for silence.

"I had hoped to see you earlier so I could talk to you; but that proved to be a bit difficult. _See._ I threatened just about 10 servants AND my poor brother to reveal where you were staying in the castle but was provided no answer. So instead, I started walking through the castle; knocking on doors like an idiot to find you. Guess my plan worked through but then you ran away from me."

**" _Again_ ".**

The last word came out rather dejectedly and again Mara didn't know what to say. They had the exit of the church and walked outside where he finally let go of her hand and gave her a look that was part sadness and part hopeful.

Mara was silently glad this awkward conversation was over, the edge was off, her uncomfortableness and anxiety had faded a bit. She desperately hoped that his would be the only interaction with him for the day even though she knew that there were would be others. For one thing he wasn't going to give up so easily for sure.

Draco turned to Mara with a solemn expression on his face.

"We need to talk. Later. I'll come find you", he said.

"No, we don't need to talk. _Not_ at all", she said with a stern look in your eyes before leaving him, luckily spotting your friend waving at you. Mara rwalked over to a heavily pregnant Hermione Granger.

"Hermione, you look positively radiant!" and Mara hugged her best friend.

"Thank you for being for a good liar, Mara. ", Hermione said with a smile.

"Where is Ron?" she asked and Hermione pointed to him standing a few feet away, hugging Prince Harry Potter and The Duchess of Calabria, aka Ginnea, aka Ron's sister that everyone called Ginny.

Mara saw Ron and he smiled and waved at you. Hermione suggested she'd walk over them and soon after the four of them were engrossed in conversation. "Oh, silly me, how could I forget? How is your sister Amelia doing?" her friend and cousins wife, Ginny asked.

A bit perplexed at first Mara didn't quite know how to respond until she remembered the excuse her mother-in-law had given for her absence in Astella. "Amelia is recovering, doing much, much better. Thank you for asking, Ginny", she had replied sheepishly.

Mara sat by her friends at lunch and didn't leave their side until it was time to change for the dinner banquet & reception at night. Thankfully, Draco hadn't approached her much after their little encounter in the morning and when he tried either one or two of his friends, also buddies with Dante; would "suddenly" come over to start a conversation.

At dinner Mara sat with her friends, chatting with them happily and at one-point Mara had to admit she was having a good time.

After everyone had enjoyed their delicious meals and desserts the band started playing again and Dante & Sophia had their first and second dance, lovingly gazing into each other's eyes. The band played another slow song, but this time other people could join, and people took their respective partners to the dance floor. Soon after Harry and Ron asked their wives to dance ultimately leaving Mara to be the only one left at the table.

Oh no. Draco was coming over to her and she knew he was going to ask her to dance, this time there was no escaping him, that is until Dante suddenly appeared.

"Do you mind if I dance with my favorite sister-in-law, brother?", Dante said with a grin.

Draco reluctantly obliged, put on a smile and then whispered something into his brother's ear; it was faint, playful and a wee bit threatening.

**_"I am so going to kick your arse for all of this. You would do yourself by leaving on honeymoon as quick as you possibly can"._ **

Dante just smiled and then extended a hand to her. While dancing Mara thanked him for today not being a nightmare (read: keeping Draco away) and he innocently said that he had no idea what she was talking about and ended his sentence with a playful wink.

Two hours later Mara's ordeal was finally over. Mara felt quite tired and wanted to retreat to her room, and proceeded to quickly say goodbye to everyone, including her best friend. She had not seen Draco in the last half hour or so and hoped to make her exit quickly, without running into him. Luckily, Draco was nowhere to be found when she decided to leave fortunately for her. She hurriedly walked down the main hall on route to your room.

_And then her hand got snatched again and someone pulled her with him._

The shock was so big Mara did not understand who the culprit was until she looked up and saw it was her husband

"Let me go, Draco". He said nothing but instead tugged her along to a room she knew all too well, the library, and opened the door.. He gently "pushed" her inside, then had let go of her hand to close & lock the door.

And there he was in full glory, standing across of her, not looking very amused.

"Are you done avoiding me, Mara? Because I am done with you avoiding me", Draco stated angrily.

He took three to four steps towards her but she on your turn took several steps back. Getting the hint, he sighed, retreated a bit, and said "Fine" but there was a fire smouldering in his eyes.

"I wanted to talk to you, and you ignored me all day", he said a bit defiantly.

Mara sighed deeply, wishing the day had come to an end already. Being this close to him made her start to feel uneasy again and at the same time she felt that her blood was going to boil soon.

 **"TALK THEN",** she snapped, and Dracotook a deep breath.

"I have sent you letters but you neverreplied. I went to Leidal several times but was rejected at the border at each try. I wanted ... to explain. That day. When you saw me and Pansy. I didn't kiss her, she _kissed_ me. And she meant for you to see it. Don't you understand?".

Mara started laughing sarcastically and he shook his head.

"You don't get it. I immediately pushed her off me and then I went after you".

"Whatever makes you sleep at night, Draco but you and I know that you cheated on me before", Mara accused.

"I know that. Don't you think I know that?", he said with anger in his voice.

"I am fully aware about how horrible I was to you in the beginning. I was horrible and stupid, arrogant and a terrible husband. All I know is that at one-point things changed between us especially after _when you and I.._ "

'STOP IT. Don't mention-" Mara tried but did not finish her sentence.

"What?", he said; his face contorting into a frown.

"Are you ashame _d_ of what happened?" he asked and stalked a bit closer to her before he continued.

"It is perfectly normal for a woman to lie down with their husband and you shouldn't be ashamed of that.".

Mara looked away in embarrassment, it wasn't like she felt ashamed for having slept with him. No. _She felt ashamed_ for being vulnerable with him, for trusting him and then to have your heart broken into a million of pieces.

"Yeah. Some husband you were _"_ , she remarked snidely but then regretted the comment for Draco's face dropped and an uncomfortable silence resumed until Mara broke it. She decided it was better to get things over with, to pull the trigger so to speak, so things could end properly.

"This is probably for the best, Draco. Honestly. Only 4 months to go till we can get a divorce or annulment whichever applies and then you can marry anyone you like. The next time it'll be for real, think of our marriage as a trial run", she joked half-heartedly.

She did not expect his reaction next for he out of the blue started to shout.

"I DON'T WANT ANYONE ELSE. Why won't you understand? I want **_YOU_** , Mara. You. NO one else."

He'd gotten so close know their bodies were nearly touching and he slowly, but gently put his hand on her right cheek and looked earnestly into her eyes and Mara felt certain her heart could jump out of her chest at any moment.

"I want us to give this another shot, Mara. I want to try again. I don't want... a divorce", Draco said.

"I'm... in love with you, I realised that today seeing you after all this time again. I _love_ you _._ "

" _Please_ " he said, and he leaned in, tilted his lips, and aimed for her lips but then she interrupted him.

"I'm leaving, Draco", she said, trying her best not to let him know that she was on the verge of tears and eager to steady her voice in the process. He pulled back and asked if that meant that her if she leaving right now for it would be dangerous to travel at night.

"No, I am leaving Leidal and moving to Gyria next week".

"WHAT? What do you mean? You can't be serious, Mara. Gyria is thousands of miles AWAY!".

"Exactly", she said with a sad smile and his eyes grew in disbelief, as he started to realise she was planning on emigrating.

"You can't go. Forget about _me_ for a minute but you and I still have a treaty to uphold. What about the truce? Do you want the war to start again? And what about Leidal's independence huh? Have you forgotten about that? ", Draco argued but his voice was weak, and he knew it.

Mara couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

"Since when do you care about Leidal being able to reign autonomously?" to which Draco did not respond. They both knew Draco had never cared about Leidal's independency at all. Mara shuffled with her feet nervously, trying to gather the courage to continue.

"As for the agreement, me and Tristan have figured everything out. In a few months, my parents will abdicate, and Tristan will be the new King. By that time, our two-year waiting period will be over anyway. Astella's clerks could send my brother our divorce papers and he will forward them to my new address in Gyria. I'll sign the papers and mail them to Astella, and you rand I'll no longer be-.."

Mara didn't finish your sentence because the thought of not being married to him any longer brought upon a painful jolt in her heart.

Oh, who the hell was she kidding? She had tried and tried to forget about him. She could not. As much as she wanted to forget the truth of the matter was that she _still loved him_. Mara had never stopped loving him, but it hurt too much. It was painful to love him and it had been from the start, when she was the only one trying, so she had to end it, once and for all.

"I know your mother told people I was tending to my sick sister to explain my absence so she can use that excuse again in the meantime. To answer your previous question. I am sure Tristan will be able to negotiate a good deal for Leidal's independence. As for us, you know deep down we don't belong together", she argued.

"We never did, Draco.." she concluded softly.

He just stood there listening to her and stared back defeated. She walked over to him and closed the distance.

"Look. I want you to know that regardless everything that occurred between usin the last 1,5 years I do sincerely wish youall the best and all the love in the world, Draco. I hope you'll be incredibly happy someday.".

She stood on her toes, leaned forward, and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. Then Mara walked away, unlocked the door, and directly went to your room where she cried yourself to sleep.

******************

**  
Two hours later**

**Her room.**

_Loud voices.._

_Steps coming down the hallway, people getting closer._

_A knock on the door._

_Mara was still half asleep. Then several other knocks, more shouting and herfinally woke up._

_She had to get up, so herput on your robe, grabbed a candle, and opened the door_

_It was still dark but then she faintly recognized two people, the third was looking leaning over and looking down until he tilted his head up to her and yelled:_

**"OH. OH. Hi WIFEY".**

"Draco, if you will not shut up anytime soon I swear to God I'll personally throw you into the sea so the sharks can eat you.", Dante irritably said.

"What is going on, Dante?", she said looking confused, even more confused when she realised who the third person was, Sarge, the twins' confidante and advisor they had known since birth.

He and Dante carried Draco into her room, who at that moment was still slouched over and mumbling gibberish, then laughing at whatever he just had said.

Dante sighed.

"I'll tell you what's going on. He is _drunk as a skunk_. Demanded to see you and just about woke up half the castle screaming your name all over. People got angry"'.

"And you actually brought him over to me instead of his room? For God's sake why?", Mara wanted to know.

"We couldn't bring him to his quarters because my genius of a brother", _and he pointed at Draco,_ "thought it was wise to light the fireplace in his room and nearly almost burned his room down because he was, and I quote 'cold'.

Mara looked at Dante in disbelief and then at Draco who was sitting next to Sarge at the small sofa in front of your bed.

"It is 40 degrees outside...".

"Yeah well tell that to him nitwit brother of mine, I think out of both of us I must have gotten the brains", Draco said again, sounding annoyed..

"Hey. _Hey!_ I resent that Dante. You know I AM THE SMARTER TWIN", he said, pointing his finger at his brother and then giggling again.

He then told Sarge he burned down his room and then laughing at that fact. He couldn't help it but Sarge started laughing too, the entire thing was ridiculous yet hilarious at the same time.

"Mara, I am sorry. I tried my absolute best to keep him away from you all day and I thought I'd succeeded. I really, really do not want to burden you with this situation or him but on the other hand you are technically still his wife and- "

"That doesn't mean anything, Dante. You know all too well we are getting a divorce", she said a bit aggravated.

"Yes I am aware. But do know what I am also aware of", Dante said with gritted teeth and slightly annoyed.

"That it is my _wedding_ night and instead of being with my wife right now, I am here hauling Draco all over the castle, looking for you, Mara.".

"Oh God, youare right Dante, I didn't consider that. Sorry", Mara apologized, suddenly feeling horrible

"It is OK, Mara. Sophia doesn't mind I am sure", Dante replied.

Mara sighed and asked if they couldn't bring him to another location in the castle to which Dante shook his head.

"The castle is full of all the guests attending, all 58 rooms are occupied".

"The castle has _57_ rooms now, actually", Draco said.

"You know since I have _burned_ mine down".

Dante rolled his eyes at his brother which Draco found hilarious apparently because he started laughing again. A second later he started to sing the Astellan National Anthem for some reason.

· _Oh ASTELLA, my sweet Astella_

· _Land of the MIGHTY AND FREE_

· _My beautiful nation.._

· _Forever basked in STARLIGHT_

· _Wave your banner of glory!_

· _So, our enemies may respite_

Sarge had started to sing along with Draco at one point which Dante could not believe.

"Sarge! For God's sake. Don't encourage him will you?", Dante asked him disappointedly.

"I am sorry Dante but as a loyal Astellan it is my duty to sing our beloved National Anthem when the opportunity is provided", Sarge replied so he and Draco continued but at this point the latter mentioned was still singing at the top of his lungs.

" _Wave, wave your banner of glory oh my dear Astella"._

 **"WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY?** " both Mara and Dante had screamed at him simultaneously, then looked at each other trying your best not to laugh. That did the trick somehow and Draco was quiet after that and pointed to Sarge with his finger, shushing him.

 _"'Sssh. Sushh,_ they did not like our singing" he giggled and closely after both he and Sarge were laughing like two idiots. When they were finished later Draco yawned, got off the sofa with support from Sarge and moved by himself into the direction of the bed.

**_Her bed._ **

"Oh. _NO, Dante. No. No, no,_ _no, no._ He is not staying here, not in my bed" Mara wanted to argue. She looked at Draco again, who had by now kicked off his shoes, got a hold of the comforter, pushed it away and lied down.

"Again, I am so sorry Mara. I am sure he'll be no trouble. Look at him, he is completely out of it".

He gestured to Sarge to come with them and before she knew it, they were nearly out of the door.

"Dante, no. Come on now you can't expect me to -".

"We'll see you in the morning at breakfast, Mara," Dante said hurriedly and then they were gone.

Mara looked at Draco who already seemed fast asleep... That damn fool! How was she going to sleep next to him, no she couldn't so she thought about her options.. The sofa was small and uncomfortable so that would not work. She then thought of the bathtub, she could use her comforter as a matrass for one but imagined it wasn't a pleasant place to rest her head either. She could sleep on the floor, but the notion did not appeal to her due to hygiene reasons, even though she knew Astella's castle was kept spotless

Or for FUCK'S SAKE. She was exhausted and gave up. Besides, it wasn't like she hadn't slept with him in one bed before.

Mara reluctantly went over to her side of the bed, since Draco had taken up the right one, removed her robe and lied down, turning her back to him and sighed deeply. She had been DEAD WRONG, this day turned out to be a nightmare after all.

**UPON NOTICING HER PRESENCE IN THE BED DRACO'S GREYISH-SILVER EYES FLEW OPEN AND HE SMILED. THE FIRST PART OF HIS PLAN HAD BEEN A SUCCES.**

He then closed his eyes again, waiting for sleep to take him.


	2. The Beginning of the End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note.. I am basing the location of Astella and Leidal a bit on the fact that I am Turkish and depending from where you currently are in Bodrum, one CAN SEE can see the island of Kos across.

_**ASTELLA, 1.5 years earlier, Arvendon Castle** _

"I will NOT DO IT. No. You can't force me, father. You cannot".

The king sighed and looked at his son sitting across of him, his second in line for ascension. It always fazed him how peculiar it was that his sons looked identical, but that Draco had inherited his hair colour and greyish eyes Dante took after his mother, with brown hair and green eyes. Both had grown so much into their looks and seemed to have grown up so fast all the sudden. Dante was getting engaged soon and the twins had celebrated their 25th birthday last month. It was a cliché but how the time had flown by, he would give anything to go back especially today instead of having this conversation with his second born.

"I know the situation isn't ideal- " Lucius tried to coutnteract but he was suddenly distracted by Draco, was walking up and down the room, seething with anger.

"NO, you're right. The situation is goddamn awful".

"Language, Draco," his father reprimanded to which Draco scoffed. "Can you sit down, please? ".

Draco complied begrudgingly by taking place across of his father again. Lucius Malfoy decided it was time for a gentler approach, so he got up from his chair, walked over and leaned across his desk, standing close to his son. He took one deep breath before starting his plea.

"Draco, I know we are asking a lot from you- ", he started before getting cut off with a scoff from Draco again.

"Let me finish speaking and then you may retort Draco. Do not interrupt me again", Lucius said, this time with a bit more annoyance leaking through in his voice for he was losing patience.

"As I said. I know we are asking a lot from you and I know this isn't exactly fair. But please. Please try to acknowledge how lenient we have been with you over the last years. We have asked you to perform your share of royal duties many times and often you came with a variety of excuses. At the obligations you couldn't get out of you always performed your duties with a sour look on your face and an annoyed disposition".

Draco's face dropped a little and he looked down for a few seconds before resuming his earlier position. He knew his father was right as much as he hated to admit it. Interested to hear what his father would say next he did as tell and remained silent.

"You have led quite the comfortable life so far. Boating and hunting trips with your friends, buying whatever you want, none too little responsibilities to uphold to, enjoying the company of a multitude of Astella's beautiful women. By God, Draco, it is a miracle that till now no one has come forward to claim you are the father of their child-".

That is where Draco did feel the need to interject.

"Father, we have had this conversation before, and it is an uncomfortable one for me but let me assure you once again that I am. careful so to speak".

"Be that as it may my son but even the most careful of men is able to make a mistake eventually", Lucius Malfoy stated before continuing again.

"WE have stood by you all these years, now don't look at me like that. Yes, even your mother has... Even after you drove her mad with rejecting an assortment of suitable princesses to marry, your reasons often illogical (too old, too dumb, too boring, too tall, too short, too skinny, too fat, and finally, ugly) your mother still supports your decisions. And you know that."

Lucius sighed deeply this time and cleared his throat before speaking softly next.

"This is unfortunately not something you can reason your way out of. There are greater things at stakes, my son. Astella is at stake. Astella's civilians are at stake. How long do you think it will take for our people to sit idly by, watching their sons die for our cause while we do not even make the sacrifice of sending ours to war?

How long before they will evidently turn against us. Moral and supplies are low as it is. And may I remind you that a slow transitioning of Leidal into becoming an independent country is beneficial for us, since we so desperately rely on them for our treasury".

"I hate to say it, father but I don't really care much about the fate of Astella's people or Leidal's gain for independence".

His father shook his head in disbelief and Draco could see the disappointment in his eyes.

Great he thought. Well done, Draco, always disappointing your parents. Why couldn't he be more like Dante?

"How can you say such a thing? How can you be so uncaring about the lives of our civilians? There is a possibility you could reign over them one day and-".

"Well, I won't reign; won't I father since Dante is first in line to- ".

"Yes, but so was my brother George remember before dying suddenly and I had to take over. God Forbid, something happens to your brother. God Forbid, Draco but if something does, you are the next King to be and it is time for you to prepare".

"So, marrying me off to some Leidalian bint is the way for me to prepare for Kingdom? IS that it? I do not see the point FOR what does that have to do with anything? And may I remind you father that these types of practices, these arranged marriages, are so last century and it is unfair to ask me this solely because Dante is already engaged", Draco stated with more anger than he had anticipated.

"Of course, it won't prepare you for Kingdom!", the King yelled. But it will instil in you, hopefully, some sense of duty... It is a beginning".

This conversation wasn't going too well with both father and son getting increasingly angry again, so it was time to shift to a softer approach once again, Lucious thought.

"For God's Sake, son. It is only two years... Two years to ensure there is a stop to hostilities, two years for us to develop some sort of understanding with Leidal, so they can govern semi-autonomously without completely defecting from us financially. After the treaty has ended and negotiations are complete you can annul, divorce or if things work out, remain married. Maybe things will work – '

Lucius didn't finish his sentence because Draco glared directly at this him and then quickly mentioned that he WOULD take the opportunity to divorce.

"Fair enough. Just for the record, I must be clear. If you want to continue having pleasant encounters with the ladies in our court when you are married no one will stop, you. There is no infidelity clause drawn up in the agreement', Lucius said a bit uncomfortably.

'Well thank fuck for that", Draco said disgruntled. This time his father only gave him a look and withheld a reprimand about his son's language.

Draco sighed deeply.

"Tell me then. Who am I supposed to marry? Amelia? Lara?". He vaguely heard of Amelia and Lara and knew that Amelia and Lara were both close to his age.

"Draco, if you had bothered to attend a wedding or two you would know that both of the princesses you've mentioned have wed last year".

"So, who then?", Draco asked in confusion because he had completely forgotten about the oldest sister, aka you.

Lucius took a deep breath and said your name, Mara. It took a few seconds for Draco to connect the dots but then he remembered hearing about her.

"THE SPINSTER?"

Draco exclaimed in disbelief, nearly yelling his following sentences next.

"For God's Sake, Dad! Isn't she older than me by THREE years? You berated me for rejecting candidates but how is Mara suitable?"

"As I said before son, I know the situation isn't ideal.", Lucius stated again, this time a bit more dejectedly.

"YOU CAN NOT EXPECT ME TO DO THIS", Draco repeated and eager to put a lot more conviction to his arguments.

"Everything is off the table. Everything. This, this ridiculous plan is not going into fruition. Which one of your dumb advisers came up with this anyway? Was it Lord Goyle? Was he the one? I'll have you know that Goyle hates my guts after I slept with one of his nieces last Spring and promising I'd marry her but then I-".

Oh crap.

His father didn't know about Lord Goyle's niece and Draco had just over spoke. Surprisingly, Lucius didn't react save for his eyebrow going upwards in confusion and then both father and son were quiet for a long while.

The king eventually straightened himself and moved closer to his son, bending over to him a quick peck on the forehead.

"I am sorry, Draco. You know we both love you very much.", he stated softly but the next sentence was voiced still softly but also a bit sterner.

"BUT IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO GROW UP" his father said before standing up and leaving the room.

Draco remained there, taking his father's word in account, and thought long and hard before eventually getting up and retreating to his study.

**********************

**Leidal, 1,5 years earlier, Revenier Castle**

"You can't be serious?" Princess Mara said in disbelief to your mother and father when they broke the news without even consulting with you with in the first place.

She remained in a sudden sense of absolute shock, having just heard that you were to wed Prince Draco Malfoy, third in line to the throne of Astella.

The Prince of the country... yours was in a war with for over a year.

As long as she could remember Leidal had been a colony to Astella until your country had enough of the many regulations and the many taxes the usurper instilled upon them and a revolution started. Arms were taken up. Astella wasn't too pleased and immediately send over ships and both neighbouring countries, divided by The Aspirian sea and a war was launched, gaining many casualties at both sides of the sea borders.

Mara didn't know if Astella's advisers came up with the idea or Leidal's did, but apparently while you were sleeping in complete ignorance, a plan was formulated for a two-year long truce and somehow a marriage was the best solution to achieve this. It did make sense though.

It would be extremely foolish for either Leidal or Astella to attack while their countries, prince and princess had been bonded in marriage. Also, in the two-year period Leidal could negotiate for independence but it had to be on Astella's terms.

Leidal's government and Kingdom knew this offer was better than nothing and accepted.

Since she and Draco were the only remaining single candidates the task of mending relations between the two countries had been entrusted on them. Draco's brother Dante was engaged and all of Mara's siblings were already married so unfortunately she had to be the one to perform the sacrifice.

However, this was madness. This was a mad plan and what made things worse, she had heard about Prince Draco and those weren't the nicest of things one could possibly hear.. People stated he was spoiled, arrogant and mean. That he spends his days and nights idle by drinking & gambling and chased after half of the skirt wearing population in his country.

She could not do it! Mara adamantly refused but then her parents started to plead with her for this arrangement would considerably help Leidal and temporarily stop the bloodshed and the effect the war had on the Kingdoms finances.

It wouldn't be forever anyway, the King & Queen reminded her just two years and after that she could get a divorce or an annulment. Or, if she got along with Draco choose to remain married, her mother exclaimed with a smile on her face.

Mara looked at her mother in disbelief and then got even more confused, why on earth would she ever think this strange arrangement would eventually result into a happy marriage? It felt like everyone had lost their minds. At this point she felt like her sacrificial sheep, waiting to be slaughtered.

This was not the way she had envisioned the rest of her life; Mara had already accepted the fact that marriage wasn't in the cards for her anymore and absolutely content with that fact. Spinster Mara, at your service, laughingstock of the family especially since her younger sisters wed last year, a fact they never failed to rub in.

It wasn't like she had wanted to be a spinster at 28. She had loved before you know...

There was a deep-felt connection with someone she had met three summers ago but the two of you came from vastly different backgrounds, you a princess, he a commoner. Due to this fact both were too coward to express their feelings or pursue anything, even though there was this instant chemistry/attraction between them, and they were intellectually matched as well.

Yet since neither of them spoke up nothing really happened between and eventually, months later, Mara had heard he had gotten married to some girl out of his village. She was devastated for weeks, her heart broken but at one point decided enough was enough and she should go on with her life. Yet the memory of him did not fade soon. She had not told anyone about him for she was careful not to share anything with her gossiping sisters and nieces.

They would have laughed at her anyway and claim she never had a 'real' relationship/connection with him, but to you it had felt so real. And even though you she was over him, in the many months after, she still wondered about the "what if's".

Thoughts as "What if I had said something or he did, maybe we could have tried to bridge the differences between us. Maybe things could have worked out?" lingered through her mind. It didn't make sense thinking about these what ifs, but she couldn't help but wonder from time to time.

It wasn't the fact that she had not accepted that he had moved on. She was many things, but daft was not one of them. Mara would not seek out a married man and bring yourself into a scandalous position. No, that ship had sailed but sometimes you just felt a lack of closure to the whole thing and wished a conversation had taking place between the two of them, affirming what you both knew to be true, that they loved each other. However, that conversation never took place and it had left her wanting for closure.

Prior to him there had been no others. Mara figured that your extraordinary level of shyness during her youth, didn't help much either. She was a true definition of an introvert whereas her sisters were extroverts. She wanted to get out of as many "functions" as she could but at the end of the day Mara was still a princess and there some she needed to attend. But even if she did she would stalk off to the corner, vehemently wishing the night were over and actively avoided engaging in conversation. She liked to dance on her own, in her room preferably but had panic attacks dancing with possible suitors, continuously stepping at their feet. Gladly, at one point the men would not ask her to dance anymore and Mara was secretively glad for it.

She would rather reading the vast number of books that Revenier Castle was supplied with than spend her evenings having awkward conversation with the odd prince there and there. Her parents eventually GAVE up, having been driven to tears and madness by her, especially her mother who decided it was better to focus on her other remaining daughters, stating to her husband that Mara was a 'lost cause' and destined for spinsterhood.

So, the years went by quickly and eventually Mara was considered too old even by royal standards and the courting attempts came to a stop.

She did not care. If a life without love was in the cards she would try to play the game well, even if she had to change the 'rules. She was her own best friend and knew extremely well how keep herself occupied with activities she enjoyed, such a reading, swimming, riding her horse and going to plays and other events, with her partner in crime Hermione. She had a small but close group of friends that she liked to spent time with, even if they lived in different countries.

No spinsterhood wasn't that bad and judging from the tumultuous marriages your sisters had love was overrated anyway so it seemed.

So, her shock was immeasurable when her parents asked to talk to her one day, about something superficial Mara thought, without question some stupid ball she had to attend but then verbally slapped her over the head with the bombshell that she was to marry PRINCE DRACO of Astella.

Just like that.. out of the blue, without consulting her, her parents had decided that she should marry and who.. No wonder it took Mara ages to compose herself.. The surreal change of course in her life aside there was one question that she needed to hear an answer for.

"What does Tristan think of this? Surely, he doesn't think this is a good idea".

Tristan, her older brother, the brother she was besotted with and vice versa. Surely he wouldn't accept his favourite sister to be married off to some brute prince. Her parents looked away and didn't answer but then you heard a familiar voice speaking and looked up to Tristan, standing in the doorframe.

"I am sorry, little sister but I do think this proposition will be beneficial in the end for all of us", Tristan said with a sad expression.

Mara's eyes grew big and she started to unwillingly shook her head in disbelief and before she knew it and before she would give them the satisfaction of seeing her tears, Mara bolted past her brother (he called after her) past the servants, past the castle entry and ran to the beach nearby. There, at her favourite spot, Mara sat down, brought her hands to your head, and started crying.

How could her parents and brother agree with such a thing? Even if, she supposedly brought shame to them for being 28 and still unmarried, she was still their daughter and sister. What had gotten into Tristan? He knew Draco and once said he was "an unpleasant man to be around with".

She eventually stopped shedding tears and willed yourself to think. Maybe she could come up with something, a solution but as much as Mara tried to find one she couldn't, especially not now when her mind was full of doubts. It was impossible to look ahead, all she could do right now was wait, wait, and hope the tide would change back to her favour.

Her mind wandered off to the distance.

The weather conditions were good today and when they were, it was possible to see the island across from the beach...

A second later Mara's heart dropped..

From where she sat she could clearly see the outlines of Astella and suddenly her chest was filled with a sense of pure dread and anxiety...


	3. Bride!  Meet Groom!

Draco sighed and for whatever reason went through the pages again, for he still couldn't believe this was happening, so he read and reread the following over and over.

**_Stipulations of the Ravenclaw-Malfoy agreement_ **

· _1\. Princess Mara Ravenclaw of Leidal is to wed Draco Malfoy of Astella in a quick ceremony on July 22nd in Astella's Arvendon Castle._

· _2\. The princess and prince are to marry before God, in church. Arvendon Castle has a church on the premises where the ceremony will take place_

· _3a. Princess Mara Ravenclaw is required to live with Prince Draco Malfoy the entire duration and not allowed to visit/stay in Leidal or any other country for more than three weeks_

· _3b. If the Princess stays longer away than is necessary measures will be taken that could negatively influence Leidal's autonomy negations_

· _4\. After the wedding has taken place an immediate ceasefire and truce will be initiated_

· _5\. Neither Leidal nor Astella can engage in hostile activities towards the other during the two-year period_

· _6a. In that timespan Leidal is free to negotiate with Astella for independence and could come up with three draft proposals before handing in one definitive one._

· _6.b. Autonomy can be granted to Leidal ONLY ON ASTELLA'S TERMS; details of mentioned terms could be described in detail and mentioned in the draft proposals_

· _7a. Consummation of the marriage is required for stability purposes and is required to take place within one year._

· _7b. If consummation does not occur within one year, the Princess had an immediate right to annul the marriage and was not obligated to remain married_

· _8\. The birth of a child is not obligated but favourable since it would even more bond the countries together_

· _9\. The marriage will end by default after the treaty expires upon which both parties could marry someone else and remain married if they wish_

· _10a) A "infidelity clause" is not included in this treaty_

· _10b). Henceforth there will be no penalties given to either parties if they were fine themselves "in the company of others"._

There were other pages and even more stipulations, but these were the main ones Draco was told.

He couldn't help but snort at the "in company of others" reference. They could have used ample other references like sleep with or use the good old word "fornication". He liked that word and Draco chuckled. There were plenty of alternatives, but Draco supposed to "in company of others" was better worded than "cheating". He was glad that at least one of his dumb advisers had put that line in as a loophole.

He would ponder what to do with the consummation clause next, maybe at a later point he could persuade his father to strike that one off the list and maybe he could weasel himself out of it or something. He didn't know what to do and at this minute thinking about it gave him a headache, so he decided to dwell on that dilemma later.

Draco sighed again, not being able to get rid of the gloomy feeling aching in his chest. He sincerely hoped time would abide him, and that two years would go by fast for the sooner he could get on with his life; the better.

***********************

They were sitting in the garden, staring at the beautiful flowers, and making idle conversation, deliberately ignoring the elephant in the room It was a lovely summer day and in the past you had loved to go swimming or going on a bike ride when the weather conditions were like this but today you couldn't muster the energy. At one point your friend couldn't take it anymore and decided to address the issue.

"I know you have no choice in the matter but are you REALLY going to through with it?", she asked.

"Wouldn't you? For your country? If you were in my shoes?", you retorted with a sad look on your face.

Hermione didn't answer the question verbally, instead she sighed and nodded by a means of saying yes. Silence resumed between the two pals which did not occur often. Ever since they had met each other on boarding school the two had been talking non-stop much to chagrin of the teachers. They tried to seat you away from each other but that was to no avail since you both decided to communicate via little paper planes next.

As the years went by their friendship deepened even after boarding school you went into separate directions. Hermione went on to study law, across the country and Mara went to a different university, studying communications (writing) and philosophy. Her parents were vehemently against her studying away from home, but she had insisted.

While at college the two women still took the time to visit each other, never being able to stay away from each other for too long. They had grown up together and while there were some irritations or say small quarrels between the two neither one could stay mad at the other for too long.

Hermione was now newly married to Ron, who she met at school and after a courtship of 2 years Ron had popped the question. Last Thursday Hermione had walked down the aisle in a stunning long train dress and it was the loveliest day for everyone involved. They would go on honeymoon soon and after that Ron would take over his father's bakery franchise and Hermione would start at a new law firm.

They had it all figured out... Everything in order. Married to a loving spouse, good jobs. You felt so inadequate in comparison for your life had been unstructured and without true purpose so far. Of course, Mara went to all the royal obligations dutifully but after the zillionth opening of a landmark you had gotten quite bored with cutting ribbon, balls, and the plethora of weddings she had to go to.

"So.. when is the wed.. are the nuptials taking place?", Hermione asked, and Mara couldn't help but snort because the entire situation seemed to be absolutely ridiculous and it was just that. RIDICULOUS.

"In one week... In one week. I am going to marry someone I don't even know. What's worse... It won't be a _regular_ wedding anyway. There are restrictions to the number of guests coming, it is just my family and his I believe. Oh no wait. They were _kind enough_ to inform I could ask one friend to attend. But only one. They have also informed that a celebration wouldn't be appropriate what with the current situation our countries are in so it will be a quick ceremony in the church", you said hardly believing the words coming out of your mouth.

There was a short interlude before Mara continued sarcastically.

"Oh. I forgot, how could I? For some strange reason beyond my comprehension... They, I think my mother is the culprit for this rule, but I am required to wear a wedding gown during the thing" she breathed with a snarky voice.

_That mother of hers.._

Mara knew her parents, especially the Queen,, thought this arrangement was a win-win situation and one would argue that she is right. In one stroke she would be free of her spinster daughter that was not going anywhere, and a dreadful war would come to an end. So, yes, the Queen was pleased, immensely so.

Mara had gotten "past" the fact that they had just easily discarded her at the first opportunity that was given, and it didn't infuriate her any longer. She should be hurt, devastated but maybe it would be a good idea for her to not be around the people she called 'family'. No, she was past being hurt but there was one thing that did infuriate her.

Her mother _had the audacity_ to walk around with her head in the air, raving about styles of dresses and her daughter getting married to a prince as if this were _AN ACTUAL HAPPY OCCASION_ and not one happening against her daughters will.

"Would you like me to come to-?", Hermione asked a bit shyly which was unnecessary for she might guessed the answer herself.

"Of course, you can Hermione, but you are going on honeymoon next week remember?", you interjected.

Hermione shook her head determinedly.

 _"Oh, absolutely not_. I am going to postpone it. You know I wanted to the same with my nuptials if Molly, I mean my mother-in-law hadn't had a hysteric fit about the idea", Hermione said with a smirk.

Thinking about Molly Weasley and the tantrum she had thrown at the mere thought of postponing the wedding made Mara laugh briefly even though she knew it was wrong to do so. Yet she needed the laugh and for one second had forgotten about the "upcoming event" and you had enjoyed the minor distraction.

"That's settled then, I am coming with you. When are you leaving?", she inquired.

Mara couldn't help it but the thought of _leaving_ the country you were born and raised in and having to leave everyone and everything you know hit you like a ton of bricks. Tears were filling your eyes and you felt so overwhelmed yet somehow you managed answer your friend's question.

**"MONDAY"**

**************************

_WEDNESDAY, THE FOLLOWING WEEK_

_ARRIVAL IN ASTELLA_

The voyage to Astella had been quite awful even under the excellent seamanship of Captain Blaise Zabini who skilfully manoeuvred the ship through the treacherous sea banks and perilous weather conditions, making the contents of your stomach rise every time the ship took on a large wave.

Thankfully, the company of her friend Hermione had made things slightly better, unfortunately the same couldn't be said of her family. Mara was travelling with her parents and two sisters, T stayed behind, well because he had to. It was as a matter of rule that at least one member of the royal family would stay behind so the Kingdom was always provided with a predecessor if something happened.. It was a precaution because it was not uncommon for many a vessel to sink in the Aspirian Sea.

As the ship got closer and closer to Astella Mara's heart started to beat faster and when the port was in visibility it felt like it would jump out of your chest at any moment. Hermione stood next to her and briefly held her hand and squeezed it as some sort of encouragement; upon which Mara looked at her and she smiled, her expression a bit too sad for the smile to legitimately count.

When it was time to disembark the ship Mara felt frozen, unable to move and asked for a bit of time and to your surprise your family didn't object. Hermione understood as well and said she'd waiting for you outside.

As she was standing there Mara looked at some people busily walking up and down the port, carrying crates filled with presumable food on to ships and for a minute you were transfixed and lost in thoughts.

"Your Highness?", a masculine voice had addressed you.

Mara turned around to see Captain Zabini standing in front of her. He was quite the striking man to see Mara pondered; with his glowing dark skin and almond shaped brown eyes that seemed to exude friendliness or so she noticed.

"Oh. I apologize for lingering Captain. I am sure you are keen to get to your lodging and rest. I'll leave" and you intended to step away before he interrupted.

"No. NO. Princess, you may stay as long as you want. I just wanted to... Permission to speak freely?"

"Permission granted", she answered, curious as to what the captain was going to say.

"If I may be so bold to wish you good luck also I wanted to say that as a Leidallian I am grateful for what you are doing, and I am sure I am not the only one. I hope you know that we value the sacrifice you're making for our country."

"I am sure my 'sacrifice' is just an inconvenience compared to the one our citizens have made for over a year. I'm sure I'll manage", she replied with a wistful smile before continuing.

", I appreciate the kindness of your words. I would like to thank you also for getting us here safely. You are definitely a gifted sailor Mr Zabini", you complimented.

"Would it be improper of me to ask you if you would call me Blaise for future reference?", he smiled.

He then reached out a hand in her direction, you took it and shook his.

"Absolutely not but only if you call me Mara from now instead of my royal title; for future reference", you expressed friendly.

He nodded and said, "I'll try Your Highness; I mean Miss Mara".

"Well. Best be off now. Goodbye Blaise".

Blaise nodded politely and then she got off the ship where two carriages were ready to take you to Arvendon Castle. Hermione waved to her to come join her in the second one; an offer she would not decline.

She had temporarily forgotten about your disposition but now your nerves were acting up again in full force, Hermione squeezed her hand again to comfort you and ease said nerves, but it would be to no avail.

She felt nervous and totally uncomfortable as the coach approached the entrance of Arvendon Castle, eventually stopping and everyone got out. Mara looked at the castle and while it was a beautiful example of architecture, the more she stared it, the more uncomfortable she grew to feel.

The royal family was escorted inside by soldiers and led to the main hall where they sat down on pink sofas, overlayed with threads of gold. The lackeys asked if they would like something to drink and informed them that the royal family of Astella would soon be arriving.

"Hhmpf... They don't even have the decency to meet us at the entrance," her mother mentioned with disdain in her voice. Mara You gave her a look of confusion and wondered at the fact that she could be seriously worried about something so ridiculous. Had she forgotten that Leidal and Astella were in a war just one week before? Why on earth would Astella to be required to be friendly, let alone civil towards them?

Five minutes later the door opened, and they entered, Lucius Malfoy, his wife Narcissa and their two sons: the twins. When you saw the two young you were temporarily confused as to who was who; for they looked very much alike, but one had light brown hair and blue eyes, just like their mother and the other blond hair and light green- grey (almost silver like) eyes, like Lucius.

Mara wondered which one was Draco but 'luckily' you didn't have to wait long for an answer.

"Our apologies, we should have met you at the entrance" Narcissa Malfoy said to the Queen of Leidal who said "nonsense" and pretended not to be annoyed about the way they were received just before.

Narcissa Malfoy greeted everyone personally; shaking hands and kissing everyone and Lucius and the twins quickly followed her.

When it was Mara's turn Narcissa said "You must be Mara" and she nodded politely before curtsying. She beckoned to one of her sons "This is Draco" she said with a nervous look and he stepped forward. Apparently Draco was the one with blond hair and green-grey eyes and he slowly walked over to them and instantly Mara's stomach felt like somersaulting.

Standing in front of each other they both bowed, and Draco politely kissed her hand and then stepped back. Mara looked briefly at him, but his look didn't reveal anything and if he felt uncomfortable he didn't let on.

"Now that we gotten the introductions out of the way. You must be famished after your long journey. We have arranged a feast but if you want you can rest in your rooms a bit before lunch.", Narcissa stated cheerfully.

Mara's mother replied that she would like to freshen up before lunch and Narcissa Malfoy responded with a 'of course'.

"See you in half an hour then in the dining hall", Narcissa said with a big smile and your family agreed to that idea.

As Mara walked away she heard a conversation in the background that you probably shouldn't have heard, and you pretended you hadn't it.

"Too bad... I thought Mara was the one with the curls. She is stunning", referring to your good friend Hermione.

"Draco! If you don't behave so help me God", Narcissa snarled under her breath.

Maybe he said it on purpose, so she'd hear it; it felt like it, but she wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and not think he'd deliberately say something like that to hurt his new fiancée.

Once Mara arrived in her room, she crashed down on your bed. This was surreal, you thought, and u still couldn't believe it. You were here in Astella... You were supposed to get married on Friday. You just had met your future husband. Surreal, another word wouldn't cover it.

She freshened up by taking a quick bath and then got dressed. Her mother had chosen a bright purple dress for you to put on, but you hated that dress because it was tight and hugging you in all the wrong places, but her mother swore it accentuated her figure in "all the right places".

She you reluctantly put the gown on and then the chambermaids helped her with her hair and makeup before it was time to venture out to the Dining Hall.

When Mara arrived there, she instantly felt uncomfortable as Mara was the first from her wedding party to be present as her parents, sisters and Hermione weren't there yet. Lucius Malfoy got up and kindly escorted her to your place, next to Draco, to your horror. He didn't look quite pleased that this father had chosen to seat her next to him, but he said nothing.

It was uncomfortable to be in his company, at least to Mara it was. Her mind was hard at work to find suitable ideas for starting a conversation, but they did not come. What COULD she say anyway?

"Oh, hello stranger, in a day or two you'll be my husband. Funny huh?".

He was not keen on speaking either and thankfully a while later her family and good friend entered the room, the last mentioned took place next to Mara, the absolute sweetheart.

Mara looked briefly at Draco again and saw him staring openly at Hermione as if you didn't exist, his eyes wandering over her body. Could he _be_ any more transparent? **_(Writers note: hehe insert Chandler from 'Friends' here)_** _._ Eventually he seemed to spot her wedding ring and turned his gaze somewhere else and pretended like he hadn't just checked her out.

Lunch was served and it was an extravaganza, but Mara was not hungry and already had trouble getting through the first course, which was soup. While both royal families were busy talking and telling amusing anecdotes, as if both countries had not been at war prior, you looked around the table. Across from you sat Dante Malfoy and he smiled at you.

"How was your trip, Princess Mara?", he politely inquired.

"Call me _Mara_ if you don't mind. Fine, thank you, although I don't think I want to travel across the Aspirian Sea for the time being," you said with an equally polite smile.

"Yes, The Aspirian Sea is no fun to travel over, I remember that from my childhood," he said.

"Oh. Have you been to Leidal before, Mr. Malfoy?", she asked curiously.

" _Dante_ , if you don't mind... When people call me Mr Malfoy, I always think of my father" and he looked lovingly towards his father.

"And yes, we did go to Leidal when me and Draco were both little. Do you happen to recall us visiting?".

"No, I'm sorry I don't remember such a thing. As a child I used to spend summers at my uncle's so I might have missed your family visiting us and therefore not have the pleasure of meeting you prior. ", Mara replied politely..

"Aha, pity. I was quite little, but I do remember having a nice stay in Leidal, mainly gorging a lot on regional Leidallian sweets. Well before I forget-" and he raised his glass.

"Welcome to Astella, Miss Mara", he said with a friendly smile.

"Thank you, Dante" and she nodded at him kindly and raised your glass as well.

The rest of the Malfoys followed suit, well Draco reluctantly did and then Lucius said, "Yes, welcome dear friends. To a beautiful wedding" and he looked in the direction of Mara and Draco.

"Here, here" everyone said, and Draco snorted, making exactly known what he thought of what his father had said. He hadn't made any effort so far to get to know you a little better while his family did. He hadn't asked any questions, no he wasn't even looking in her direction. She could sense he was moody and aggravated and really didn't want to be present.

He stared boredly to somewhere outside and seemed to be counting down the minutes to the end of lunch. He also drank A LOT. His father, sitting at the end of the table, noticed this, and tried to reprimand him with a stern look but Draco gazed at him and silently mouthed "What??".

Julia, aka Mara's mother thanked Narcissa for the delicious lunch and said it was her pleasure. Everyone got up one by one, but when you did, Narcissa informed Mara that you were expected to be the seamstress to try on your dress. She went on to say that she hoped that you would like the dress and that she had arranged this with your mother and the two women looked at each other gleaming.

Mara swallowed the lump in the throat and said, "but of course" and got up from your seat. Draco also got up, curtsied, and just about stormed out of the dining hall.

She didn't want to admit it, but the dress... The dress was very pretty. It was a beautiful ball gown with straps, and it was decorated with very accurately placed silver embellishments, giving it quite a distinguished look. The gown also had a long lace train that was detachable at any point.

"You look beautiful" said the seamstress as you were staring at your reflection.

"I'm glad I don't have to do many alterations, the dress fits you perfectly," she said with a smile.

Mara smiled politely back and thanked her for her good work upon which the seamstress beamed with delight.

There was a knock on the door and Hermione came in. Immediately upon seeing you in your bridal gown, her expression changed to delight.

"Oh Mara... This looks lovely on you!" she exclaimed.

"Do you think so?" Mara replied, insecurity lacing your voice.

"Absolutely! It is stunning and so are you" she said, and she came over and kissed you on the cheek.

Mara looked at the mirror together, Hermione had placed her hand on your upper arm and rubbed it gently.

"Everything will be fine Mara. Believe me", she said earnestly but it as if she herself didn't believe what she was saying.

The bride to be sighed deeply but refrained from comment because she sensed no, knew things would be not. Not at all.

After the fitting Mara went back to your room to get some rest until she was alerted by a kind lackey that it was time for supper. Draco wasn't present at supper and his parents gave this lame excuse that he had fallen ill because he had probably consumed something at lunch he shouldn't have.

Everyone, at least her family, knew that they were lying but no one wished to call them out on it for both Malfoys looked extremely embarrassed as is. After supper Mara and Hermione ventured out to the garden and courtyard for a quick walk while the rest of the families retired to the common or cigar room.

The two friends tried their best to engage in conversation but every single of them ended in silence. Hermione felt awkward, she might not have mentioned it to Mara, but she had seen the way Draco looked at her and felt terrible, so the walk in the garden was brief.

When it was time for bed Mara couldn't sleep for the longest of time. Everything was different, even though they had only crossed the sea. The weather here was different to Leidal's as well, a lot warmer than she had anticipated so the heat kept her up and thoughts of her 'husband to be'.

_What a great start; she thought._

Already, he couldn't/or wouldn't want to be around her and the two of weren't married yet!

Eventually sleep did decide to grace her with his presence and Mara's eyes fluttered closed. That night she dreamt about being little again and playing in the garden with your sisters.

She dreamt of the country and home you left behind after nearly 28 years of living there.


	4. Some things are beter left unheard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you read this as Y/N please don't be offended by what I wrote about Y/N's appearance.  
> Draco doesn't actually find her unattractive but merely thinks she isn't his type if he is honest but that is a truth he doesn't wish to share with his brother.
> 
> As always; I do struggle to write in English sometimes so please ignore any weird grammer. 
> 
> And oh comments are appreciated and if you'd like to buy me a coffee I would die from happiness.
> 
> https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Bailloo2207

**_DAY BEFORE THE WEDDING_ **

The next day Draco did show up for breakfast but repeated the same antics. He looked bored and made NO effort to get to know Mara or her family better; he simply didn't seem to care. Draco looked at twice during breakfast. The first time Mara didn't notice because she was talking to his nice brother, but the second time happened to feel that his eyes were on you. His eyes met hers briefly and she couldn't help but be fixed for a moment. She had never seen such peculiarly beautiful yes before, and it didn't help that their colour seemed to be almost silver green instead of the regular pigments.

He gazed at her angrily and she felt anger coming from him. He was angry, did he feel angry with her? As if SHE could do anything about it, as if she had come up with this ridiculous idea. Mara felt uneasy enough, there was no need for him to add to her sorrow looking at her as if he'd wished she would fall of the centre of the earth.

What made things worse, apparently he didn't feel the same about Hermione. He was still quite focused on Hermione even though he knew she was married. She had noticed Hermione and it gave an uncomfortable feeling to know that her friend's husband-to-be couldn't keep his eyes off her. She tried to act casual for her sake, hoping SHE hadn't noticed but oh she had. That ship had sailed.

She was not the only one noticing unfortunately, because her sisters had also seen Draco stare and Mara sometimes caught them having a little chat between them, sometimes bursting out laughing. Cinderella had even nicer sisters than you; she knew for sure. In the end her mother said something, and the two ladies stopped laughing openly but shared amusing looks.

After breakfast Draco curtsied again and left as if he had urgently had to be somewhere else and then she didn't see him again for he was a no-show at lunch and dinner. Her parents-in-law did their best to make excuses for him and were extremely uncomfortable but just like yesterday no one said anything to call them out. But her parents were seething internally because the obvious lack of respect shown not only for her daughter reflected upon them as well..

Mara went with Hermione to the seamstress one more time for her last fitting, after which she required to meet Mr. Cleery of the royal household so he could inform the bride & groom about the 'big day'.

"The program is short but sweet," the distinguished gentlemen stated in an in a drawling voice, holding a clipboard upon which the itinerary for the wedding was written.

Mara figured Mr. Cleery was around 60-ishs old and with the royal family for many years for he spoke with a lot of experience and familiarity about the Malfoys. But when she looked at him she could sense that he seemed to be tired and bored with his profession and that years of organizing state visits, weddings, baptisms, and other celebrations had taken a toll on him. His eyes were sullen, his skin full of wrinkles and he looked tired. Mara didn't know why, but she suspected that he was going to enjoy his well-deserved pension after this ceremony.

"Breakfast will be served at 9:00. After that, the bride and groom will have time to prepare themselves. We'll gather outside on the courtyard around 11. 45, after which we'll walk to the little abbey on the premises. There the ceremony will take place at around 12.00 hours. I must inform you that the priest has chosen a shorter version of the blessing based on the character of this ... commitment because that would be more appropriate", and he looked at each of his listeners individually as to make his point come across.

He cleared his throat and continued to speak in that drawling voice of his.

"When the Princess & Prince have taken their vows, a high tea will be organized outside, followed by lunch. After lunch, the painter will await you both to take some sketches for your wedding portrait, this may take several hours, at least until the evening. As for the programme of said evening... Given the circumstances a large wedding reception is forfeited, and a small intimate dinner will take place. After dinner, the prince and princess will leave for their new home, Ashwood Castle, that is located 20 miles away from here".

For some reason, even though Mara knew that was it going to happen she hadn't yet come to the terms yet with the fact that she had to leave her family and Hermione behind and probably wouldn't see them for a while. While her family had acted atrocious, they were still that, her family, and the thought of saying farewell to them somehow still broke her heart. Mara swallowed the lump in her throat and listened dutifully to the rest of what Mr. Cleery explained.

Thank God, at one point he did manage to quit speaking and she and Hermione ventured out to explore Arvendon Castle's garden. Mara had never seen such a beautiful garden, one that paled in comparison to the one at home. Besides many kinds of flowers there was also a large maze and she and her good friend had, despite the pending doom upon Mara's life, fun finding the exit.

Evening came and Mara spend it in the presence of Narcissa Malfoy, her two sisters and Hermione in the drawing room again. To her surprise Mara enjoyed being there and took a liking to Narcissa. She told at length about how her engagement and marriage had come about. She and Lucius were meant to marry others, other royal candidates, but the love between them was so great that they decided to run away together. However, they didn't get far, only to the next village, Narcissa told laughing. To avoid losing face, both parents decided to agree to a marriage, and they were married a month later.

Mara smiled at Narcissa after she had finished her story and the latter mentioned earnestly smiled back and Mara knew they would be getting along fine.

_Getting along with **her son** might prove to be difficult though. _

When the evening had come to an end Mara wished to retreat and bid everyone goodnight. Julia, her mother kissed her on the check and simultaneously squeezed her hand. She whispered that she couldn't believe her daughter was finally getting married.

"Oh Mara... What a happy day it will be tomorrow", she whispered. Mara gazed at her mother; partially trying to figure out if she were sincere and partially to take in her features for she wouldn't see her for a long time.

Mara smiled briefly, more of politeness and it was a disingenuous smile and then left. Arriving in her room she had trouble falling asleep again because her nerves were playing tricks on her once again.

One minute she felt cool and collected, letting the rational part of her personality take over.. Everything would be over in two years, really Mara, she was fretting over nothing she would remind herself or at least try two. And then was the irrational part of her personality that wished to run away to the port and hop on a ship right back to Leidal.

But that unfortunately wasn't an option. Mara twisted and turned in her bed but as much as she much tried she couldn't calm down. She knew it was late and that her friend might be asleep but Mara desperately wished to speak to Hermione so she could give some good advice and hopefully instil some courage. She got up, put on a robe, and went on her way to find Hermione. Unfortunately, she and her friend were not lodged close to each other as Hermione's chamber was on the other side of the rather large castle on the first floor, while hers was on the second floor.

Mara walked past a room but then suddenly stopped in her movement. It wasn't intentional, honestly. She really didn't mean to eavesdrop, but she recognized the two voices coming out of the room. It was a foolish and wrong thing to do, it wasn't proper to listen in to someone's conversation but somehow she couldn't resist the opportunity. Besides the door was open so...

She stood at the corner of the door and then looked inside. It was a spacious room and beautifully decorated and had large balcony attached to it. Dante & Draco were sitting at the balcony, thankfully with her backs to her and oblivious of Mara's company.

"And what do you think of her? Dante asked. Draco took a sip of his whiskey bottle and snorted.

"Of Tara?", he asked for clarification even though he knew who Dante was talking about.

"For God's sake! You're going to _marry her_ tomorrow, and you do not even know her bride's name?", Dante groaned but Draco shrugged.

"She is quite plain looking. I can see why she hasn't been married before, for she isn't the prettiest. She looks like a dull librarian with that high bun of hers and she acts like one, spewing off facts about Leidal and Astella's history left, right and centre. _I for one_ find her to be dreadfully boring and I don't understand why _you_ talk to her so much. I can't stand to listen to her for longer than a minute and they seat me next to her every time regardless my request of not to. "

"She's not plain looking nor is she boring. Yes, she might be a a bit.. I don't know.. rather serious but she seems to be quite nice and has a lot of interesting ideas and things to say. Which you might have known that if you'd paid her some attention instead of running away from her responsibilities like a child. Seriously, do you know how embarrassed mother & father are having to make excuses for your absence. Honestly, Draco, we're lucky this deal is still going on with the way you have behaved. ", Dante exclaimed.

This statement made Draco angry and he snarled at his brother.

'If only the deal fell through, Dante _. If only._ It would be the happiest day of my life".

He shook his head angrily before continuing.

"You, Mother and Father have some nerve! May I remind you that NONE OF you are the one's marrying her. No, I am. _I am_ required to marry _someone I don't even know_. Someone I am NOT attracted to AT ALL and she is going to be MY WIFE _._ And oh, spare me the drivel of stating this is only a temporary inconvenience. I am still STUCK with her for a large period!! So, call me out on my behaviour all you want; _dear brother;_ but as I see it I have valid reasons to act the way that I do.", he sneered.

Dante wanted to tell Draco that he was acting ridiculously and like a spoiled prat until he had to admit it. This wasn't easy for Draco. He had it easy for he was engaged to Sophia and so this heavy task had fallen on his brother's shoulders. To be honest, it wasn't exactly fair towards Draco to expect carry the burden all on his own.

"I know the sacrifice you're making, Draco. We all do; trust me. Look I am sorry OK. Let's drop the subject", his brother said softly.

Draco looked briefly at his brother and nodded as if he wanted to say that ' apology accepted.' After that both brothers remained silent for a while until Dante broke the silence.

"Have you seen her friend though? Pffeewww." and Draco whistled all the while sporting a devilish smile on his face.

"Her body is fucking amazing", Draco continued with a dreamy and admiring expression while taking another sip.

Dante looked at him in disbelief.

"She's _newly_ married; man!"; he reprimanded; though he did his best to make his voice a bit less stern than intended; hence avoiding a second argument.

" _Yeah, so?_ ", Draco asked with a curious look on his face and of his eyebrows went up.

"You're acting like I've never had anything to do with a married woman before. Believe me I've been with a fair of married women willing to _play around_ with me while the man of the house is away on business", Draco smirked.

"You don't happen to know at which room she is staying? ," he asked with a mischievous grin.

Dante's mouth fell open out of disbelief which made Draco laugh.

"Relax, I was just joking. Still, that husband of hers is one lucky bastard if you ask me.", Draco murmured and yet again sipped. Dante put an arm around his brother and said that it was time to go to sleep and that they had a big day ahead.

"Yes, absolutely thrilling," Draco sarcastically stated while shaking his head and taking another ship.

Dante patted his brothers back and a moment later the two gentlemen got up and that was the cue for Mara to leave quickly. She ran back to her room; closed her door as softly as possible, took off her night robes and laid down in her bed feeling insulted and saddened by what she had heard, but somewhere thought this was her own fault because for eavesdropping.

Mara did not want to think about what she had unwillingly been notified of because it was painful enough to hear, let alone think about it. Instead, Mara concentrated on trying to sleep. In the end, she succeeded; after a lot of effort; and before Mara knew it a couple of hours later, her wedding day had 'finally' arrived.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writers note:  
> Just a clarification. My Theodore Nott looks like Adam Driver/Kylo Ren/Ben Solo and Rey will make an appearance as his gf. I am doing a mini-crossover and simultaneously pissing off TWO franchises for a couple of reasons because A) I really love the character Kylo Ren/ Ben Solo. B) I am a big fan of Adam Driver and C) I also write Reylo fanfiction. Please check out “The Prince and The Scavenger if you are interested, another medieval type story of mine. Now on with the fun.
> 
> P.s. The tying of the red ribbon is or was AN ACTUAL wedding tradition in the parts where my family comes from in Turkey. It has nothing to do with fertility though but more with that the red ribbion implies that the "bride is pure aka a virgin" or so I believe. Don't think the tradition is executed much anymore but just wanted to share this info with you.

**Writers note:**

Just a clarification. _My Theodore Nott_ looks like Adam Driver/Kylo Ren/Ben Solo and yes Rey will make an appearance as his gf. Yes, I am doing a mini-crossover and simultaneously pissing off TWO franchises for a couple of reasons because a) I really love the character Kylo Ren/ Ben Solo. B) I am a big fan of Adam Driver and C) I also write Reylo fanfiction. Please check out "The Prince and The Scavenger if you are interested, another medieval type story of mine. Now on with the fun.

******************************

A knock on the door. The butler didn't open the door but informed her that it was almost time for breakfast but that first; that a maid would come to prepare a bath for Mara. The maid arrived five minutes later and dutifully started to work.

After taking a bath the maid then helped Mara get dressed and made her look suitable for breakfast. Upon entering the dining hall, she felt as if all eyes were on her. She bowed to the respective Kings and Queen and then listlessly walked to the table. To everyone's surprise she didn't take place next to her husband to be next an open spot to her sister. Hermione was sitting to the left of her anyway, so she chose to sit in the middle. Her mother glared at she openly for refusing to sit next to her fiancée, but she pretended not to see and started eating her customary cold soup.

When breakfast was over, she left immediately without being able to give him a look worthy of it. With lead in her shoe, she went to the seamstress for the very last fitting of the wedding dress. She was accompanied by her sisters, mother, and Hermione. The ladies gave she and dress an approving look before they left to get ready themselves.

For a moment Mara was alone in the room because the seamstress had already left, and she looked at herself in the mirror.

She had been Mara Ravenclaw, Princess of Leidal and old spinster now she was going to become Mara Malfoy, Princess of Astella and unwanted wife of Draco Malfoy. She almost had to laugh because somewhere she thought this was very comical.

A knock on the door and several ladies came in to do Mara's hair and make-up. Apparently the two 'moms" had decided on what her hair should look like and had chosen a half up half down style with a with rose in the middle as decoration. Then the maids started on applying make-up and after a while they were finally done with Mara and happy with the result.

Mara didn't care about the result though. All she wanted to do was get through this day, the only thing she wanted and what she missed so much was being alone. Since this idea had come to fruition, she had hardly been alone, and she would kill to be able to go back to the library of her house and read a book in peace. If only.

Another knock and she flinched at the sound because she knew it was time. Hermione came in with a compassionate expression and gently said everyone was waiting.

She gave her a brief smile as assurance and walked with her to the courtyard where the whole company was waiting for her.

_When she saw Draco something in her chest fluttered._

By God, she hated it to admit but he was a very handsome man to see. He had a light grey coat on with a white blouse that was combined with a rather large turquoise bow and was wearing dark grey trousers, accompanied by a feathered hat in the same colour which he was holding in his right hand. Somewhere the ensemble seemed to draw more attention to his silver-greenish eyes and making them more expressive. His light blond hair was carefully coiffed, parted to the right and he was sporting a nice tuft at the front.

Next to Draco stood Dante, who was wearing a similar suit to Draco's but darker and next to Dante stood someone she didn't know. He was so tall, tall as a tree she thought and had the blackest hair she had ever seen; and his suit matched the colour. He noticed her gaze and smiled at she friendly and she suspected he must be a good friend of the twins.

Mr. Cleery said the wedding party was complete and the ceremony could start. Narcissa, Lucius, Draco, her mother and sisters, Dante and the mysterious friend went in and she were left alone with her father. Her father entangled her arm with his and looked at she.

"Are you ready; my dearest daughter?" and she heard his voice breaking. She took his hand and squeezed it briefly before she nodded. She took his hand and squeezed it briefly before she nodded and then walked with him to the entrance of the abbey with trembling legs.

When she entered, the organist began to play, and the boys' choir began to sing. She and her father slowly moved towards the front of the church, if it were up to she would have gone even slower but alas she had finally reached the priest _and him._

_The one who wasn't even glimpsing at this bride._

"Who gives this woman away to this man?", said the priest in a solemn voice.

"I shall," her father replied and before she knew it, she took Draco and put her hand in his. TWO seconds later, he already let go of Mara's hand.

The priest didn't seem to be aware and started his solemn speech. She wasn't really paying attention and Draco wasn't paying attention, but she had to do her best not to burst out laughing when the priest mentioned that "marriage should be taken seriously and wasn't a game". Then the priest concluded by offering his blessings to the couple before reaching the final part of the ceremony.

"Do you Prince Draco Lucius Malfoy of Astella take Mara Louisa Ravenclaw to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health for richer and for or poor? To this question, what say ye?".

""I do" he said with a voice that seemed to vary between sheer anger and utter nonchalance.

Not noticing the awkwardness of it all again the priest merely nodded in agreeance then directed his attention to the bride.

"Do you, Princess Mara Louisa Ravenclaw of Leidal, take Draco Lucius Malfoy to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health for richer and for or poor? To this question, what say ye?".

"I do", she said softly and then biting lip as if to still her mouth for saying other stupid things.

"Then by the power invested in me and for the Presence of God, in his house and holy kingdom, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride", the priest said relieved, thankful that he had gotten through the ceremony without making any errors.

**_WHAT??_ **

_Funnily enough Mara and Draco looked at each other at the same time in utter confusion._

Mr. Cleery hadn't mentioned the kiss at all, or had she zoned out during the meeting, so she didn't take in this tidbit of information?

Oh God, Oh God OH SWEET LORD OF MERCY. She just now thought of something.

**_THE WEDDING NIGHT_ **

As if it wasn't bad enough she had forgotten about the kiss, which was ridiculous at itself, how COME...? How the hell? _How on earth_ did she forget that she had to _sleep with him tonight_?

Clearly, Mara a) either lost her mind b) _completely blocked the idea_ from thinking about it in a way to "protect herself" c) didn't think **_she would have to do it_** _even though it was stipulated in the damn agreement she signed_? d) clearly had lost the functioning of her brain over the last two weeks. Also see option A.

Probably option D.

Anyway, back to the kiss. Back to the kiss. She and Draco stood there not knowing exactly what to do. This was a terribly awkward situation, and the guests were getting uncomfortable as well for she heard a few of them clear their throat/coughing.

Eventually he decided and leaned into she and gave the fastest peck recorded in all of history, on her cheek. Jubilant cries ruptured from the guests, finding themselves relieved that not to uncomfortable anymore.

He reluctantly reached for Mara's hand and held it limply, made her turn and walked with her to the exit. When he got there, as if she were infected with a disease, he immediately let go of her hand and rushed out.

"DRACO!", Narcissa called after him, but it was too late because he was already gone.

Everyone came to hug and congratulate Mara, her mother and sisters, the family patriarch also known as the King but also her in-laws and Dante. Draco's mysterious friend introduced himself to Mara as Theodore Nott, but said everyone called him Theo. She smiled politely at him and said it was nice to meet him. Hermione came to her, gave she a big hug and said the worst was over.

Outside the tables were already set for the high tea and lunch and the guests took a seat and feasted on the extensive buffet and champagne. She'd almost think it was a "normal" wedding if she looked at first glance. It had all the elements of a wedding really. Guests, happy faces, a bride, and a groom, oh no he wasn't there. He did show up half an hour later, escorted by his father and brother and seemed to be already abbreviated.

He took place next to her and didn't think she were worthy of a glance apparently. Instead, he paid more attention to his glass, which he refilled repeatedly. Mara on the other hand was merely eating because she had to even though her stomach was protesting and the food in her mouth felt like sand.

Lunch seemed to last forever even though Hermione was close but finally Mr. Cleery announced that it was time for the bride & groom to pose. He went on to say that it was necessary to tie the red ribbon across the bride's waist as part of the Astellian wedding tradition.

Red ribbon? Had they told her anything about this before or had he not paid attention. Seeing her confusion, Hermione whispered Mara's ear that this was a tradition at every wedding in Astella and that the red ribbon stood for fertility and receiving children. Draco was listening in or staring at Hermione, either option was possible, and he snorted at hearing the last sentence.

She got up and Narcissa walked over to her nervously; followed by a servant holding a red ribbon in his hands.

"May I?", she said kindly, and Mara nodded in agreeance. The servant handed her the ribbon and Narcissa elegantly tied the ribbon around the waist. Then Narcissa bent forward and gave Mara a gentle kiss and an embrace.

"I know the circumstances aren't ideal Mara, but I just want to say I'm glad to call to call you my daughter-in-law", she whispered in her daughter-in-law's ear. It was something said in all earnest and Mara appreciated the kindness. Instead of crying at the spot Mara decided to just hold Narcissa a bit tighter, thanking her in the process.

Mr. Cleery took her and Draco to see Mr. Henshaw, a kind and chatty man with scruffy brown hair and even scruffier looking moustache topped off by a considerable amount of residue paint on his hands. He congratulated the both of she and wished upon she a long and fruitful marriage and Draco rolled his eyes at the thought.

Pretending not to see this, Mr Henshaw proceeded to sketch and directed both of she to take a variety of poses for settling on the right one. He had chosen a pose of in which she and Draco were slightly turned to each other, exchanging loving looks and Draco held Mara's hand.

But there were no loving looks exchanged between the two of she and pretending made it much worse. He just stared uncaringly, and she tried to do equal him in that effort. He noticed it but it didn't faze him one bit.

Nearly two hours in and the painter suggested to take a quick break before continuing and excused himself. As he left two servants came in to bring in refreshments and she drank eagerly. The ball gown was heavy, and it was quite warm for early May, so she was sweating. Draco had of course immediately let go of Mara's hand yet again, reached for the glass and demanded a bottle of wine to follow next.

The servant replied with "right away sir" and then they were alone.. Mara had never felt more uncomfortable in her life, should she speak, not speak? And did she want to talk to him after what he said? He turned to look at she and his gaze did not waver for a little while, as if he were taking she in. She noticed him staring but preferred not to look at him and instead tried to stare at a small pointing hanging on the wall.

Then he was the one to break the silence.

"I want to make one thing clear", he spoke crisply.

"I am not fond of this obligation and unwilling. I am, _only_ , only doing this because my father asked me to. As soon as this waiting period is over I am filing for an annulment. So do not get any ideas in your mind. I know this is your only way out of _spinsterhood since no one else would take-_ ".

He didn't finish his sentence because he got distracted by the gasp she let out. With one turn of her head, she glared at him and for one second it had an impact because his expression changed for a moment and then it changed back to indifference.

The arrogance of that bastard, Mara's blood was boiling with anger.

"Aaah and I thought _you actually loved me_ " she sneered sarcastically with a fake smile on her face.

"I am **SO DISSAPOINTED** _",_ she snorted.

 _"_ And oh, believe me; the sentiment is entirely mutual. So please get that annulment after two years. You'll do us both a favour", she snarled and refused to look at him any longer. He was still looking at she; a bit surprised about her reaction and trying to take she in again. She threw him off a little for he didn't think she'd react to him, and especially not in this way.

Fortunately, at one-point Mr. Henshaw returned and walked to the large canvas in front of him, finishing the sketching phase and entering the painting one. A minute later he started to frown as if something was bugging him and he stilled in his movements completely, staring at the painting in front of him with his hand under his chin.

"Your Highness," Mr Henshaw spoke with a slight trepidation in his voice because he sensed that Draco was tired of this posing session.

"Slight alteration. Could you _smile_ a little? Very shortly, just as a matter of reference", he shyly asked Draco and the newly hitched groom sighed.

"We have been here for 2,5 hours, Mr. Henshaw. When do you suspect to be finished? I am getting tired of standing this way for it is straining my neck and back. Plus, it is hot as hell in here.", Draco replied annoyed.

"I am almost finished for today, Your Highness, I swear. Now Princess Mara, do you mind if I ask you to do the same?".

"Not at all" Mara answered and she took on a yet another fake smile while simultaneously glaring into Draco's eyes.

"Ehm. Ok. Great. Well, I think that is enough for today. I will finish up later and then my clerk will send over the result to your new home", Mr. Henshaw said, relieved he was done for today.

It didn't take Draco long to leave for he was out in a second and the painter stared after him in confusion. Mara e was no mind reader but at that moment she knew exactly what he was thinking. He didn't let on though, instead he curtsied and thanked her for the cooperation before leaving.

Mara then also exited the room, off going to join the rest of the wedding party she opted to retreat to her room where she flopped on her bed and sighed deeply. Mara's mind drifted off and she recalled the events of the day so far, well because why not, she was already miserable as is. Unintentionally her mind went to Draco and how today handsome he looked and...

_What the hell was wrong with her? Seriously._

The man was inconsiderate, mean, and arrogant, mooning at her married friend and judging from his actions today, was probably going to make co-existing with him miserable for the next two years; she concluded.

And here she was thinking about how handsome he was. She must have lost her dan mind indeed. Instead of pondering about evil husbands she decided to close her eyes for a minute but apparently she drifted into a deep sleep.

Oh, for God's sake. Who did she have to quarter to get some quiet time around here she thought after she heard yet again a knock? Her mother Julia came in she was carrying something.

"Surprise" the Queen mother said with an exuberant smile. "We had the seamstress make another dress for the evening".

"Lovely" was the only thing she could muster. The new dress was better though in a way because it was a flowy, a-style line of a dress and the material was much lighter, read more breathable. Her hair and make-up were retouched again and then daughter and mother were off to attend diner.

Fortunately, the evening program was relatively predictable; just the same wedding party sharing a meal together and even Mara managed to eat something. This time she was sitting next to Draco who had shown up for some reason or other. He now also had a black suit on, and his hair was pulled tight backwards.

They sat silently and refrained from interaction. A sense of gratefulness came over Mara for seeing there was no orchestra because she didn't feel like dancing with _him_ at all and that awkward moment at least, was spared.

The evening passed quickly and before Mara knew it was time to say goodbye. It was a strange moment as even Mara's sisters seemed to be emotional somehow, but Mara had promised herself to keep it together and not go into a crying fit until the end; or when she was alone again.

She kissed Lara & Amelia and gave them a hug. Then Mara went to her mother to comfort her as tears flowed over The Queen's face. Mara kissed her mother and lied, uhm told her everything was going to be all right. Her father controlled himself, but his eyes seemed to look at her with regret. She hugged him briefly, trying to keep her emotions at bay, and kissed him goodbye.

Then it was time to say adieu to The Malfoys. Mara politely bowed to the king and kissed his hand. She did the same to Narcissa and she received a firm hug. At first Mara only wanted to give Dante a hand, but he grabbed she briefly, said that she was now family and then kissed she kindly on her cheek. He said he would come by to introduce she to his girlfriend Sophia and she nodded her head and said she would like that.

Saying goodbye to Hermione was exceedingly difficult and Mara almost slipped up. They both had tears in her eyes when she hugged each other but she promised she that everything would be alright again and that she would come to visit as soon as possible.

"Please, do Hermione", she stated, trying hard not to break down.

Eventually Mara and Draco got into the carriage, he took a seat on the couch and made sure there was enough distance between them. Mara got on the carriage as well, but Mara could not keep her eyes of her family and friend. As the carriage drove away, she kept turning around and waved at them until she could no longer see them.

The journey to Ashwood Castle was relatively long and the temperatures had dropped considerably now, something she weren't accustomed to. Starting to shiver, Mara put on her coat, but it was intended for summer and didn't provide much warmth.

As often these days Mara's mind drifted off and whether she wanted to or not she thought about the things that were required to happen when she and Draco were alone together and unwillingly she started to breath faster. She gazed at Draco quickly.

 _He_ seemed to be completely unbothered and trying awfully hard to ignore her and looked out his window. All right, Mara thought, she didn't feel like talking to him anyway. She closed her eyes and leaned back, her head resting on the side. Someone poked her shoulder and she heard them sigh as if annoyed. Then she felt another poke and her eyes flew open to see an irritated Draco staring at her. She briefly looked outside and saw the little castle that was going to be her new home. It was a beautiful building to see.

Mara got out and her luggage was unloaded by the lackey. Mara looked briefly at Draco to see what he was going to do because he was still in the carriage but eventually he also got out and walked behind her into the castle. Inside he ordered the butler to escort she to her room upon which the man nodded and started to approach she. He curtsied and introduced himself as Mr. Gleeson.

"Your room is ready, Princess but the maids must first clear out your suitcases. I'll come and get you in a minute," the butler said. Mara thanked him and he politely bowed to her before he left.

Suddenly two women came from the other side of the corridor and walked smiling towards Draco. One of them was a beautiful, tall brunette and she was wearing a green dress that matched her eyes because they were the same colour. The other was a somewhat smaller woman with slightly blond curly hair and her blue eyes gave something naughty away.

"Congratulations, darling" said the brunette and she kissed Draco full on the mouth and she took a breath of amazement.

"Yes, congrats dear" the blonde stated giggling and kissed him on the mouth as well.

"Thank you, darlings," he replied. The two ladies had finally noticed her presence and looked at she with curiosity.

"Is that her?" asked the brunette with a smug smile to which Draco nodded with a smirk on his face.

"Well. I get why she stayed single for so long" said the blonde and apparently the company found that very funny because they all laughed.

Then Draco put both arms over the ladies, turned around without looking at Mara and walked away with them. She stared after them in absolute confusion yet knew well enough where they were going, and they were going to do but could not stop.

She was still staring after them until the butler cleared his throat to get her attention and then escorted she to her room and she followed him with weak, trembling limbs.

Mara undressed and put on her nightgown rejecting the idea of a bath till tomorrow for she as so tired. Plunging down on the bed she was no longer able to control her emotions, overwhelmed with sadness and feeling homesick. Tears started flowing from her face at high speed and Mara must eventually have cried herself to sleep at one-point.

She woke up feeling the rays of the sun on her face, soon someone came to greet she and prepare the bath. She took a short bath, apparently too short, because when she returned to her room, two maids looked at she in shock.

One of them was pouring a small amount of red liquid out of a small vial upon on her sheet and removing the sheet, and the other had a clean one in her hands ready to replace it.

"What are you doing?" she asked, but she already knew the answer.

_Evidence, Mara._

_Evidence of a consummated wedding._

_Evidence of a taken virginity._

"We're very sorry, princess," one said flustered.

"We had orders from-" said the other; blushing, but she didn't let her speak.

"It is okay. Go on with what you were doing. I'll change in the bathroom," she said with a trembling voice.

She grabbed her dress and underwear and went to the bathroom to get dressed. When she heard the door close she came out of her hiding place and walked to the bed.

Mara drew back the covers and saw a sparkling white sheet, firmly tugged in at the corners and it did not seem to have one wrinkle on it.

_Perfect. White. Sheet._

_Perfect. White **. Stainless.** Sheet._

She didn't know why but somehow it felt as if it was mocking her.


	6. Let the games begin..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again I would like to say that I have envisioned Adam Driver as my Theodore Nott. Pansy, to me, looks like a hybrid of Kate Middleton and Jade Olivia Gordon (the actress that played Astoria Greengrass). Katherine Edwards is based on Tamzin Merchant who played Katherine Howard in The Tudors.
> 
> In this chapter Mara's Raven"claws" (hehe) come out to play.
> 
> AS always SORRY for crappy grammer/wording mistakes..

It took a lot of courage and a growling stomach she couldn't ignore any longer for her to exit the room. But Mara did reluctantly, and the servant had called her like three times already so with eyes still puffy from crying her eyes out she entered the dining hall with trepidation. What if he was there? A quick scan of the room though assured her that he wasn't, and Mara took a breath of relief before placing herself at the end of the awfully long table. A table set for two, but he wasn't there and a second later the servants awkwardly started removing his plate and utensils.

It was fine. She didn't want to see him _anyway_ for Mara felt _mortified._ She was embarrassed not only because of his behaviour but also with herself. What in God's name had provoked to _think_ he would want to ...? Mara didn't finish her thoughts.

Tears were started to prickle in the corners of her eyes, and she tried to swallow a lump in her throat while simultaneously trying to eat but it was impossible. But _no._ Enough of the crying, it was time to get herself together and try to make the best whatever the hell this situation was. A plan should be formulated with activities to do so she and him wouldn't have to see each other much throughout the day. She was sure that wouldn't be a problem since she was more than able to entertain herself at Leidal and was certain he _wouldn't be in her vici--._

 **Speak of the devil. He had suddenly entered the hall with a purposeful tread in his step and he wasn't alone.** This is going to awkward for her, Draco thought. But it is best to let her know who is in charge from the beginning.

To her horror he was accompanied by the same women Mara had seen yesterday. Out of decorum, not of her free will, she stood up and curtsied towards him. He stared at her with sullen eyes and a bored expression as if her mere presence was a nuisance to him.

"Good morning Leidal", he said sarcastically.

_LEIDAL?_

He couldn't even give her the decency of being addressed by her first name but had simply reduced her the country she originated from. It was ridiculous. What the hell should she say in return? Good morning Astella?

But two could play the game and therefore Mara replied with sneer, equalling his earlier sarcasm.

"Good morning, _Malfoy_."

He was taken a bit back by her response, she could tell because for one second there was a flicker on confusion portrayed on his face but then his features hardened again.

"I wanted to introduce you to your ladies in waiting. I have selected them for you myself. I do hope you'll appreciate my efforts in doing so. Only the absolute best for _my wife_ ", he smirked slyly.

A shockwave went through Mara and she tried everything not to gasp. He, he couldn't be serious? These two out of all the female population in Astella, he had picked them? The ones he slept with; no was sleeping with.

She was too shocked to respond so he took the opportunity to introduce them to you. He slightly turned to the two women standing next to him and gestured to the brunette.

"This is Pansy Parkinson. Her first name is Penelope, but everyone calls her Pansy, don't we dear?" he cooed, and he stared at her lovingly. She reciprocated his stare and then took one step forward to address Mara and curtsied.

Immediately Mara thought that out of the two Pansy was one to look out for eyes seemed to exude slyness and she didn't appreciate that mean smirk.

"And this-", and he gestured to the young, giddy blonde "is Katherine Edwards", he said with a smile.

Katherine giggled and replicated Pansy's behaviour. Not knowing what on earth she should do and unable to speak Mara just stood there before looking dejected at her 'husband', as if all hope had left her before averting her gaze.

Mara therefore did not catch yet another change in expression on Draco's face. For a second there, the tiniest twinge of guilt appeared in his chest, but he quickly ignored it.

"Both ladies will be staying at the castle and will at her beck and call if you need anything" he said cheerily. A second later, deliberately doing this so you'd hear what he would say he leaned into Pansy and spoke softly to her.

**_ "And you will be on her back if I need anything.", he said. _ **

Penelope chuckled, apparently finding this all very amusing and hit Draco with faux anger slightly on his arm and then muttering to him he was terrible. Mara stared at was happening in front of her like it was some sort of a horrible play her parents had dragged her along to, that had a bad plot and unconvincing actors, but it was real.

"Right.", he exclaimed cheerily. "I have some matters to attend to. I'll leave you to get acquainted".

He simply nodded to her indifferently but made sure he kissed Penelope & Katherine rather fondly on the cheek, with Katherine he even kissed and nuzzled her neck. And then was he out of the room, uncaring about the state he had left it in, uncaring about the state he had left 'his wife' in. At that moment Mara was straining herself not to erupt in tears again, BUT she wouldn't give him or them the satisfaction.

But by God it was so hard not to..

She stared at the two women in front of you. Penelope was trying quite hard not to laugh and doing her best at a reverent impression. Katherine simply looked down figuring that was her best option, also intent not to laugh. There was this horrible awkward silence until Pans, dearest decided to break the silence.

"If you wish me and Katherine could give you tour of the- ", Penelope spoke.

"NO", Mara said sternly but her voice cracked regardless.

"I do not understand. Draco just informed you that -. "Penelope said with a now even more confused look on her face, having been cut off twice.

 ** _"I SAID NO_** ".

It had finally happened. Praise the Lord.

 _Finally,_ she had reached that point where anger had taken over from sadness, finally she felt upset enough to stand up for herself. As if it wasn't bad enough this shitfest of a marriage and husband was forced upon she now had to deal with a flagrant reminder her husband preferred others every day. Absolutely not, so her voice was clipped with starting rage but determination when she spoke next.

"You and Katherine are _dismissed._ I do not wishto have you as my ladies in waiting. I am aware that Prince Draco is obviously keen on keeping you this castle. I cannot do anything about that notion. However, I declare that you will not remain here in the capacity or under the ruse as my ladies in waiting. It is up to me who I choose, who gets to assist me."

"And the two of _you_ are not my pick", she said determinedly, and Mara made sure to look both in the eyes.

"You can NOT do this!" Katherine protested with a voice that nearly seemed childish. She was young,

" _Drakums.._ Ehm. Draco appointed us to the task!", Katherine objected in a high pitched, youthful sounding voice.

Mara looked at her and thought she was 21-ish at most? Most likely she was from a well-known 'good' family that had been acquainted with and operated in the royal circles for a while. These families would train their daughters from the get-go how to handle themselves around Kings and Queens but apparently Katherine's education had been lacking for she was overstepping her boundaries.

In her life, so far Mara had never pulled the **"Bitch, I am royalty"** card and was vehemently against using her title in asserting herself or getting her way but there was a first time for everything.

She took one step forward to Katherine and looked at her intently. She was eager not to back away from her stare but ultimately faltered by staring down. Mara gazed briefly at Penelope, she seemed to have lost all her swagger just now and glanced meekly back.

It was clear from their response that they hadn't expected her to react this way and it was also clear that the two women were getting quite uncomfortable. Mara almost started to feel sorry for them and a tad guilty but there was no going back anymore.

"I am _sorry,_ Miss Edwards. Did I miss the memo? Have we changed lives in a sudden spell of wizardly magic or something? Because as far I know I am a Princess, and you, my dear are not. Which means that what I say goes, not what you or your friend say", Mara concluded.

 _"_ You may inform _Drakums_ " she sneered with sarcasm; and Katherine's face flushed instantly she noticed, "I mean the prince of my decision. If he has any objections he is welcomed to share them with me", Mara concluded. She then saw that Penelope's demeanour had rapidly changed and that she was now openly and blatantly glaring at her.

"Anything you wish to address with me, Miss Parkinson?" she asked innocently.

"No", she gritted out, but her eyes were full of fire.

"No _, what?_ ", she asked.

"No. _Your Highness_. I have nothing to address with you".

"Well good" Mara said and then walked back to her chair with a thundering heart and took place. ALMOST THERE. Just a little longer and she could fall apart, Mara willed herself to eat and refused to look up from her plate when she spoke next.

"Now as I said. **DISMISSED** ", she stated with an even more stern voice than before. It took them a minute or so, but she heard them walk away. She requested the servant to leave her alone and he obliged. As soon as he left she pushed her plate way, sighed deeply, and stared at the table and her hands fidgeted through her hair as in a way to grasp on to something.

It wasn't even noon yet on her first day...Not even noon yet. And she felt godawful. 100% miserable. And it was all her lovely husband's fault.

 _That Leidallian bitch! How dare she? I'll show her, Draco thought_.

Draco didn't take long to storm in and demand an explanation; pulling her right out of her dark thoughts that she had accumulated over the past 15 minutes.. This time she didn't bother getting up to meet him. He was fuming she could tell; it influenced her as well because she got deeply nervous of the confrontation yet at the same time she was eager not to let him on. He walked closer to where she sat but remained at considerable distance, Mara on her hand didn't move.

"You know. I always thought you Leidallians were a worthless lot and you certainly seem to prove my point. Tell me, what do you have to say of herself, _o Princess?_ Poor Katherine is sobbing her eyes out", he spewed, venom lacing his words.

She didn't respond and just gazed at him and he moved closer again.

"Have you lost her tongue all of the sudden? Because from what I hear you were quite vocal just now", he sneered.

She looked at him tentatively and her mind was hard at work in trying to come up with the right words to say for he needed to know that he and THEY had been out of line. So, she got up from her seat; walked towards him and stilled relatively close, but not too close, from him.

"I feel a bit bad for hearing I've made Miss Edwards cry but that doesn't mean I was wrong in correcting her behaviour. She has no right to tell me what I can or cannot do. Nor does _her other... companion_ for that matter. ", Mara calmly spoke but inwards a storm of anxiety and annoyance was raging.

He didn't expect her to be so blunt about the ménage at trois he had going on and for a moment his anger faltered but was replaced with arrogance.

"Is that what this is all about?", he snorted meanly and there was that arrogant smirk of his again. "Oh, how precious" he remarked and chuckled.

"I do not know what you are talking about.", Mara earnestly said and shook her head after her statement.

"I think you do. I think you're upset about what happened last night or better yet about what DIDN'T occur last night and are blaming Kat and Pans for it.".

Draco knew he had touched a nerve because her face went bright red. Serves her right, Draco thought, and he decided to twist the knife some more. HE chuckled and then his eyes travelled deliberately from her head till her toes, taking her in and all she could do was stand there, stilled in her movement, not being able to say a thing.

"You didn't _possibly_ think _I_ would want to sleep with you, did you?? and he made a circling motion at her body. Her mouth dropped open from the sheer brazenness of his statement and instantly a wave of embarrassment rushed over her.

**_Because she was so caught off guard by what he said she didn't observe his actions. Mara didn't catch that his eyes had lingered longer than he had intended to, especially at Mara's chest and other .. curves.  
_ **

A very awkward silence endured until he narrowed the distance between you, her bodies nearly touching and spoke.

"You will apologize to both for your behaviour. Behaviour that is unbecoming of someone of your title and stature. Furthermore, they will be of her service to you here in this castle as your ladies in waiting as I have decreed earlier" he demanded.

At this rude request she came back to her senses and a feeling of extreme anger came over you. Where the hell did he get off by saying SHE was acting _less than_ royal with the stunt he had tried to pull and why?

What purpose did it give him to make her miserable and from the start as well? Why? What was the point really, there were in the same boat, but he was already doing his best to capsize it? Suddenly she felt so, so very tired and decided to compromise slightly; so, this already 'enthralling' morning could come to an end. Yet at the same time she was eager to reiterate that her opinion on the matter hadn't changed.

"I will apologize to Katherine out of a sense of decency. As I mentioned I feel a bit bad for making her cry. However, I do not owe to Pansy in my opinion or she for that matter. _All three of you, -_ and her voice slightly trembled before continuing.

 _"_ All three of you were completely out of line suggesting I'd go along with your ridiculous idea. In no circumstances will Miss Edwards & Miss Parkinson be 'of service' to me. I will choose the lady who will accompany me during my stay in this castle. Is that understood?", she spat out.

He looked at her angrily and it seemed like a storm was brewing in those peculiar eyes of his, but he remained silent and for a second Mara wondered what he is was thinking. In any case he wasn't intent on letting her know.

" _Or_ do I have to send word to Arvendon Castle and inform the King? Complain about how poorly how have treated met, at day one, nonetheless. Should I complain about you jeopardizing our already precarious agreement? Please let me. I am curious to know what her father & mother would think".

That bitch. Already pulling the 'I will tell your parents' card. Interesting, Draco thought. There might be more fire to the old bint yet. He for one surely wasn't one to back down from a good fight _._

Let the games begin he thought, and he deliberately looked at her indifferently to let her know that he was not impressed by her or her words. If she thought he was going to forget this incident, she was wrong, and he would _make it up_ to her later but for now he decided to let her win the battle knowing that the war was only starting.

"I will appease you this time, but I do have to warn YOU. _Thread lightly_. After all you are not in Leidal anymore, Princess" he stated crisply, the last bit of the sentence voiced in utter sarcasm.

Was that a threat veiled in a remark? Was it? Well then he could better bring it.

"Are we done here, Malfoy? If we are you might wish to send Miss Edwards back in, I owe her an apology remember?".

"Oh," he said, and he shook his head with a jeering smile. "We are done _for now_ , at least".

"Good", and she threw him a fake smile.

"Well, I seem to be rather repeating myself but... _dismissed_ then". His mouth fell open with amazement but a moment later he was closed again, and he frowned at her.

Who the hell did she think she was for dismissing him? He would it let it slide for now, but he took a mental note. He was sure there would be many other ones and he would collect these notes until he knew how to take revenge. Draco gave her a dirty look and then turned around and left the room.

**************

It was Sunday today.

To her relief she hadn't encountered him or his companions during the last days. He was usually gone in the morning, or they had probably already left together. Mara didn't care; she didn't have to see him for she hadn't forgotten her last altercation with him and didn't feel like repeating it. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything, but his words left a dent in her the size of a Leidallian maple tree.

"Did you really think I was going to sleep with you?", try as she might that sentence kept repeating itself in her head.

Instead of occupying herself with him, she decided to explore her new 'home'. She was pleasantly surprised; the castle had a lovely atmosphere. To her surprise it was much bigger than she expected; apparently the exterior did not do the justice. There was a beautiful garden with a variety of beautiful flowers and on both sides there were large and impressive ash trees.

The garden had several benches and she had made a habit of borrowing a book from the impressive library and reading in the garden and today was a beautiful day to read outside. Too lost in her book, Mara didn't hear the footsteps in her direction until she had to look up and saw a tall man standing in front of her with hair so black that a raven had to be jealous. He was wearing an elegant beige suit and held in his hands the hat that made the ensemble complete.

"Excuse me, I didn't mean to draw your attention away from your book. I only wanted to introduce myself if I may be so bold. I didn't have the chance during the wedding".

Thinking about the wedding she suddenly got a melancholic feeling that she tried hard to ignore. So, Mara stood up and he bowed respectfully to she and then reached out his hand.

"Theodore Nott, but everyone calls me Theo," he said kindly.

She took his hand and he kissed it politely.

"Mara Ravenclaw... um Malfoy-Ravenclaw", she corrected herself.

"It is lovely to meet you, Princess Mara. Welcome to Astella." Theo cheerfully exclaimed.

" Please, Mara is sufficient", she replied.

"Are you certain? I always address Draco on a first name and not by his title, but I wouldn't wish to improper towards you", he said amicably.

"Really, I am certain. Call me Mara".

He nodded and said alright with yet another smile. She couldn't help thinking how nice it was that someone was acting friendly towards her and how quickly she had forgotten what that felt like.

"So, you are a friend of Draco I suppose?" she asked, knowing the answer but eager to prolong the conversation.

"I am yes, also Dante's friend, but I have more in common with Draco. We used to be in the same classes at school", he explained.

"We, me and Draco but sometimes Dante as well goes hunting or go horse-riding on Sundays but today we are visiting a mutual friend" Theo continued.

"I hate to ask you, but do you happen to know where Draco is? I can't find him anywhere" he asked with a confused look and innocently, ignorant of the fact that she absolutely couldn't know where her husband was because he didn't feel the need to explain it her _where_ he was.

Her face flushed and she stammered something of no, sorry. A moment later Mara heard a voice shouting from behind.

"OI! Nitwit! Let's go!" and Mara looked back and saw Draco standing in the distance.

"Aah there he is being his usual charming self. Well, that's my que to leave. It was nice to meet you" and he bowed again.

"Likewise," she said.

Then he left and walked towards Draco. Draco stared at her again with complete indifference before he turned around and walked away with his friend.

She sat down again and did her best to immerse herself once more in her book but utterly failed in doing so for an exceptionally long time. At one-point she gave up and just went back to her room, back to where she could hide.

_From him._

_From this marriage._

_From everyone._


	7. The Banquet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To my stupidity I realised that I had NOT include a rings exchange scene in the chapter where Draco and Mara got married so I came up with an excuse hehe in this one. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy. Sorry for shitty grammer. 
> 
> Comments make me genuinely happy, not that I am fishing for them, no. **wink** 
> 
> This was a long chapter btw.. Holy crap, took ages to write.
> 
> PS 1.. After seeing Promos for "Enola Holmes" on Netflix I have now decided that DANTE MALFOY looks like Sam Claffin.. lol. If I EVER rework the story I shall make Dante THE OLDER BROTHER and not have him and Draco be twins.
> 
> PS2: The saying mentioned in this chapter is based on a Turkish one.

WRITERS NOTE:

To my stupidity I realised that I had NOT include a rings exchange scene in the chapter where Draco and Mara got married so I came up with an excuse he he in this one. Hope she enjoy. Sorry for shitty grammar. Comments make me genuinely happy, not that I am fishing for them, no. **wink**

This was a long chapter btw.. Holy crap took ages to write.

PS 1.. After seeing Promos for "Enola Holmes" on Netflix I have now decided that DANTE MALFOY looks like Sam Claflin.. lol. If I EVER rework the story I shall make Dante THE OLDER BROTHER and not have him and Draco be twins.

PS2: The saying mentioned in this chapter is based on a Turkish one.

****************************

A few days after her first face-off with Draco the butler Mr. Gleeson had informed Mara that her wedding band had finally arrived upon which she looked at him with confusion then remembered that the ceremony she hadn't exchanged rings. How silly she didn't think of this before?

He explained that the rings in Astella were usually custom made abroad and took weeks to make so because her wedding was a spontaneous event, the rings did not arrive due on time. She stared at the ring on her hand; and even though Mara had worn it for the last couple of weeks; it still felt strange to wear it. This wasn't a real wedding ring; this was a fake one and wearing it seemed to only rub in that notion even more. Still, she wore it; out of sense of duty, the same couldn't have been said about Draco for he never wore his.

Before she knew it, four months had passed since the nuptials in May. Four rather identical months; she already had a "fixed routine"... The routine consisted of having breakfast, then taking a walk or exploring the castle, then retreating to the library or the garden with a good book until lunch; then taking a second walk on the beach (to she pleasures Ashwood castle had a private beach) until dinner and then.... she went on to read again. The castle and the grounds belonging had been fun to explore and surprised she at more than one occasion.

Mara didn't know of the abandoned cottage near the beach until she had found it during one of her walks, the butler later told she, that it had been the residence of the steward appointed to the castle's affairs in the earlier days. The cottage was fully equipped; it had a kitchen and a bathroom, a small but inviting living room and a nicely decorated bedroom. Finally, the cottage was at the perfect distance from both the castle and the beach. If it were up to her, she would move there tomorrow; but it probably wouldn't be proper decorum and it would probably raise some concerns. Maybe Mara could move in later, she doubted that Draco would care anyway.

Speaking of her husband, she still didn't see him much; caught glimpses of him here and there. When she did see him, he made sure he made sure to be seen with Katherine or Pansy. The mentioned ladies in question did show a bit of reverence towards Mara but that was just about it; she could still hear them mock she afterwards and Draco usually laughed along.

And that hurt, seeing him laugh at her, even if she, by now should have known that he disliked her. And he did, didn't he? _Dislike her._ There were times she would fault herself; because she hadn't acted entirely nice to him last time either but at other times, she really didn't know WHY he behaved like this.

This was an unfortunate situation, but it wasn't a permanent one. Why couldn't they just act civil towards each other? Was it too much to ask, she was willing to try at least and then after two years he could marry whomever he.?

_Thinking about him getting married to someone else shouldn't have brought about a twinge of pain in the chest but it did._

A particular Sunday she went to the dining hall; fully expecting to have breakfast alone again but this time around she wasn't. Sitting at the end of the table, joined by Draco and Theodore at either side of him.

"Oh. I am sorry... I don't want to intrude" and she was intent on walking away, in fact already nearly turned her back if Dante hadn't interrupted Mara.

"Nonsense Mara, won't you join us please?" and he had pointed to the seat next to him with a smile on his face. Draco, she saw was doing the complete opposite; positively glaring at his twin brother; in fact, if looks could kill Dante would have been dead by now. Dante headed over to her, took she hand and kissed it before asking with a smile how she was.

"Fine, thank you and how are you?", Mara asked politely.

"Thank you, I am quite well. So, you have been here a couple of weeks now. I hope you find the castle accommodating and your stay satisfactory", Dante said with a smile. After finishing his sentence Dante gave his brother a knowing look upon which Draco just stared back, unaffected.

Hhm what to answer.

While she had fallen in love with the new fortress she couldn't exactly say her stay in it had been pleasurable. Mara almost wanted to shout "No thanks to your brother" but she decided it wasn't either the time or place to discuss this matter so lying through her teeth was the only option, she hated it, but it had to be done.

"The castle is beautiful, and I have enjoyed my time here in Astella so far. I hope to go out and explore your beautiful country one of these days", she said but even Dante couldn't ignore the slight sense of sarcasm in his sister-in-law's voice just now. Thankfully, he decided to ignore it.

To change the subject, she asked him how he was doing and how Sophia, his girlfriend; was doing. She had met Sophia quite soon after the wedding and got on well with her. Sophia was intelligent, long with dark blond hair and had a beautiful face, studded with beautiful freckles and a set of dark blue eyes that she secretly envied. Sophia was one of those people that was, despite her of being unbelievably beautiful, still down to earth, and humble. Mara had noticed the lovely girl had not one arrogant streak in her demeanour.

Sophia was just as kind to her as Dante was and Mara was happy to have something of a "friend" in Astella as Hermione was temporarily unable to visit she because her mother had suddenly gotten quite ill, catching a rather bad case of the flu, and barely survived. Furthermore, since things were "iffy" between the two countries, temporarily it wasn't easy for Leidallians to go visit Astella and vice versa, at least for the time being.

Her parents and sisters wrote she in lieu of visiting, which was fine because she didn't really want to see them anyway. In one of the letters her sister had send Mara read that she was to become an aunt in the foreseeable future and that had made her happy and excited.

"So, Mara. Questions. Do you play tennis and how well? We need someone to take Dante down a notch, he is getting far too arrogant for beating me and Draco", Theo said and then winked at her.

"There really is no need to be jealous of my innate talent and excellent sportsmanship, Theo", Dante replied with a semi-arrogant smirk on his face and she could see even Draco, who didn't wish to be an apart of this conversation for he was still silent, rolling his eyes at this statement.

"It is not my fault both of you are so _unequipped_ at sports. It is appalling to see really and quite disheartening", Dante smirked daintily, his voice deliberately laced with faux arrogance.

"To answer she question, Theo. Yes, I play tennis and I've been known to win a few matches", Mara replied.

"Ooh. That is excellent news", Theo cooed with a smile and he gave Dante a triumphant look.

"Are you up for a game after- ", he wanted to ask but Draco interjected.

"I am sure Miss Ravenclaw has better things to do on this particular Sunday than to spend it with she two", Draco sneered.

_Well at least Miss Ravenclaw was better than Leidal._

Theo looked confused and it looked like he wanted to say something, but he backtracked at the last minute and Dante was frowning at his bother.

"NO, my schedule is completely free. If you don't mind; Mr. Malfoy, I am going to take Mr. Nott up on his offer. Surely, you can't be opposed to my wish to get some exercise?".

Draco just glared at her but didn't respond.

"You are so going down", Theo taunted Dante and the latter mentioned just said "we'll see" and shrugged.

And so, it occurred that Mara, Dante, and Theo played a few sets of tennis after breakfast and Mara would beat Dante every time. Theo was over the moon, but Draco didn't seem to care, he seemed to be busy reading the newspaper.

Yet what Mara didn't see was that even Draco couldn't suppress a smile when he heard Dante's annoyance about Mara beating him. As the Sundays passed, Dante and Theo involved her more and more in their plans for the day and she got on quite well with them. Theo mentioned that he had told his girlfriend Rey about Mara. Rey wanted to meet her, but she was studying abroad now so an introduction could not happen right now.

Soon the end of the week was something Leidal's former princess would look forward to. A couple of weeks later it was Sunday again, she fully intended to see Dante and Theo in the dining hall but was greeted with only she 'husband' instead.

"Oh..." she said, feeling quite uncomfortable. "I thought that-"

"Aramis & Porthos would be here?", he interjected; referring to the three musketeers and that the three of she formed them together. His expression was still sullen, but she failed to see that there was a hint of anger and or jealousy to the sentence he had just uttered.

" I'm _sorry_ to disappoint you. I am afraid you'll have to make do with my presence".

She stood there in silence; wandering what he would say next and really; not eager to be alone with him since the last time that happened it was a disaster.

"Take a seat", he said, and he pointed at the chair across the table, but she still didn't move but stood there awkwardly.

"My, my... I must have really scared you haven't I? You cannot stand to share a meal with me" he smirked but there briefly was a sad expression on his face that she didn't catch.

"As you can see" and Draco pointed. "The table is long enough. I can assure you that if you take place at the other end of it there will be enough distance between us. Do sit down. If you dare of course" he said arrogantly.

The last statement did seem to evoke some reaction with she because he touched Honestly the nerve!? Who did he think he was? She wasn't afraid of him, so she walked over to the table and took place and upon that Draco called someone to serve her breakfast. After she had gotten she plate, Mara tried she best to focus on she food; not looking up from it and rather consuming the meal quickly so she could leave.

Unfortunately, while doing so she a) ate way too fast and b) miscalculated the size of the chunk of cold beef in her mouth so the result was that she nearly choked and gagged afterwards. Draco found this all very amusing and had started to chuckle.

"It is quite funny how desperate you are to leave this room to rid herself of my presence. Honestly, there is no need to choke yourself to death.", he chuckled. AT this point she had gone bright red from two things; embarrassment and from him laughing /mocking she. She didn't know what to say and the awkward silence resumed until Draco broke his.

" I am leaving today. My parents are away on a state visit and I thought it would be a good idea to stay at their castle, until they return at least".

Her mouth slightly dropped, and she stared at him in amazement for she was confused. He said HE was going but was to become of she then? Draco seemed to understand she confusion and soon afterwards he gave she clarity and cleared his throat before he spoke...

"You will remain here; I have no intention of taking you with me", he said coldheartedly; there really; really was no trace in emotion in the delivery of that statement.

She felt a sting of pain and rejection going through she and it was difficult, but she kept she emotions away from HIM. Mara didn't allow him to see her sad, so she tried awfully hard to be indifferent.

However, he kept a close eye on her reaction and even though she didn't see it; briefly, very briefly there was a feeling of hurt to be seen in his eyes for she hadn't responded at all and looked like she couldn't care less he was leaving. He continued to explain, and she did she best to appear stoically.

"Dante stays at my parents castle as well and Theo is off to see his girlfriend abroad for he missed her too much. I am sure you will miss having them around but you seem to be adept to being by yourself so I am sure you can manage... If there is anything you need you may consult Sarge Beaufont, mine and Dante's confidant and friend."

"Sarge has told me he has a solution for she _ladies in waiting problem by the way_ " and he made sure to sneer that bit out "so it would be wise to engage with him on this matter".

Not looking up from her plate Mara muttered "Thank you, I will" before excusing herself, getting up and going to your room.

_He left two hours later._

*************************

She hadn't seen him for four weeks or five; she didn't keep track. No, it had been _five weeks._ She _did_ keep track, but she didn't want to admit it.

She met Sarge and he was friendly and helpful. He was 40-ish, had tightly pulled grey hair that he coiffed with precision. He had green eyes that seemed to change colour; sometimes they looked green, brown rather than green and he looked very groomed. He explained that he knew the twins since birth and that when the king and queen were absent HE, in cooperation with many nannies of course, took over the upbringing. He told proudly about that he had taught the twins many a thing, from horse riding to archery, and shared stories with Mara about the boys' youth. Mara could see that he was very fond of Draco & Dante because he talked about him with a lot of affection. Now that the brothers were older another role for Sarge had been laid aside, that of confidant and trustworthy advisor.

He had indeed found a solution to the problem of 'the ladies in waiting', his own cousin Sara Beaufont was very capable of taking on this task. Mara said that was a good idea and that she was looking forward to meeting her.

Sarge was a man of many talents and a very sharp thinking and intelligent man. However, he could do one thing less well and that was lying. He shifted uncomfortably when he said that Draco had gone to Arvendon castle with the intention of keeping an eye on things while his parents were gone. It was a big lie, and both knew that but to spare him she asked no further. Neither did Mara ask about the absence of Katherine & Penelope as she knew that they had gone with him and he was his own wife, not, but decided that it was strange of her to question him.

She may have been his wife on paper, but that was all. He didn't owe she an explanation, nor did he owe her any fidelity, but deep inside, deep inside she felt so hurt. The crying had diminished but sometimes the melancholy resurfaced, at one of the many lonely nights.

Five weeks had passed and in those five weeks Dante, Sophia and Theo had visited her and Mara had met Rey, Theo's girlfriend but Draco hadn't visited her at all. Eventually she had gotten used to it and his absence didn't affect her that much anymore or that was what she told herself.

So, her surprise/shock was great when, after all these weeks, Mara saw him again. It was mid-September and while she had swum in the sea this afternoon, she could see that the weather was changing, and that autumn was coming. It was evening and she was sitting in the library, curled up with a good book near the fireplace and completely lost reading it until she heard the knock on the door.

"Come in," she said, expecting the butler or the servant to enter in but lo and behold; it was Draco sauntering in.

He headed near her but made sure to stop at a considerable distance and she could sense that something was bothering him; for he seemed nervous and had a scowl on his face. She pretended not to notice and directed she gaze at the book in her hands again, pretending to read, until she sighed and closed the book. Mara looked at Draco intently, as in to figure out could possibly bother him but the only way to find out was to ask, not that she cared though. She was simply curious.

"I assume your parents are back", she said feigning indifference in her voice, but she was oddly curious.

"You have assumed correctly", he said and then sighed, for some reason he seemed to be even more tense now than he had entered the room.

"Well, good. I shall look forward to see them in the nearest future", she said and then directed she attention back to the book. He did not leave, and she understood that there was apparently something he had to discuss with her. She did her best to seem uninterested again but inside she was burning with curiosity.

"Sorry, Mr Malfoy... Is there anything else?" she asked coolly.

He shifted uncomfortably, took a deep breath, and cleared his throat.

"What you just said about meeting my parents.," he started, and his voice sounded strange, almost pleading, she never had heard it like that before.

"Yes? What about it?", she inquired upon which he sighed rather dejectedly.

"You _will see_ them again soon.. _.We_ are invited tomorrow for dinner at Arvendon ".

"Alright, understood. I'll be there", she replied, thinking that was it and she could get back to the book now and try to quiet that stupid heart of hers because it was thumping so bad ever since he walked into the library.

He sighed again. Apparently there was something else he had to say.

"My aunts, Andromeda and Bella will be there too. They live abroad and my parents decided to visit while they were travelling. Since my aunts couldn't be present at the wedding they decided to visit Astella and bring us our wedding gift and also... to meet you", he said with slight hesitation.

"The point is... My parents wrote to me during their absence and asked me how we were doing. I said that we got on well with each other".

She snorted after hearing this remark and did she best not to laugh. She got on well, yes, maybe in an alternative universe...

"My mother has a great relationship with my aunt Andromeda... Bellatrix, or Trixie for short, is another story. She has always been jealous of my mother because she could marry a prince and Trixie could not. So, if she notices that you and I are not-", he didn't finish his sentence and for a millisecond an expression of shame was to be seen.

" It will amuse Trixie to a high extent to understand that my relationship with you isn't... I mean. Look I know... I know it's a lot to ask you, but I would... I would like it if you would behave tomorrow as if-".

 _"We get along well with each other"?_ Mara repeated his earlier statement and not hiding the sarcasm in she voice.

"Yes...", he said, and she could see that it had taken him a lot of trouble to ask her this and that his pride had been hurt in the process. Mara didn't answer immediately and remained silent for a while, he kept looking nervously at she, curious about what she would say.

"I'm quite fond of your mother". She took a pause before continuing as if to let those words sink in. "Don't worry. I won't do anything that will embarrass her", Mara stated.

She looked at Draco and suddenly a smile came over his face. It was the first time he had smiled _at she_ and she were startled for a second for she hadn't expected at all.

"Really? Wow. Thank you so much, I owe you" he said cheerfully and still smiling.

The last part of his sentence jolted Mara back into reality. Here he was, having left she alone for weeks and still having the audacity to ask her for a favour, nonetheless. He truly was an arrogant bastard, clearly used to getting what he wanted to. No, she would not give him the satisfaction that he had persuaded her to do HIM a favour.

Mara put the book down, got up from the sofa and walked towards Draco and stood rather close to him, staring directly into his eyes.

"I am not doing this as a favour to you. I am doing this for Narcissa. You do not owe ME anything and I wish to keep it that way.", she said with determination and a stern expression.

His smile had vanished, and he had retorted back to his sulky demeanour, but he didn't reply and just nodded. She looked at him a little bit longer before nodding herself, looking away, taking two steps back to walk past him towards the door.

********************************

The journey to Arvendon was longer than she could remember or perhaps it had to do with her nerves. She travelled alone as Draco had already left earlier in the day so he couldn't help her. Mara was nervous to meet his aunts. She had carefully inquired with the staff about their experiences with Bellatrix, but nobody really wanted to say anything. However, she could already deduce a few things from their reaction. Mrs. Pomfrey, head of housekeeping, immediately got a look of dismay on her face that she tried to hide afterwards.

Oh. SHE was so hoping she would leave a good impression and not embarrass Narcissa. Tonight, she wore a light blue A-line dress that was a bit sheer at the top; the bodice decorated with lace and silver stitching. She wore a necklace with a diamond in the same colour as her dress. In consultation with Sara Beaufont, who she had met by now and got on well with, Mara decided to go with a half-up, half-down hairstyle, like the one at her wedding. The look was completed with a small yet striking tiara and a white coat because it was rather chilly today.

Mara still hadn't quelled she nerves when the carriage skewed and pulled into the lot before stopping at the entrance. She was met by the lackey who escorted she to the dining hall. To her surprise, Draco was there waiting for she in front of the entrance with Dante there.

She didn't notice it, but Draco stared at her for a while, mouth slightly agape; ever since she had arrived, and Dante was looking at his brother with amusement and a twinkle in his eyes. He noticed Dante staring and then deliberately stared somewhere else.

"Mara, you look beautiful", Dante remarked upon which she thanked Dante.

"Ready to be thrown to the wolves?" Dante joked and this made her laugh and for a second ease her nervous disposition. Mara nodded to Dante with a smile. Draco walked over to her a little shy and reached out his arm. She glanced at it briefly before joining she arm with his, the door opened, and the new bride and groom were announced.

Mara investigated the banquet hall and was happy to see familiar faces because even Theo, Rey and Sophia had come. But she defected to Lucius & Narcissa and greeted them kindly. Narcissa then accompanied she to her two sisters and their husbands.

The odd thing was. None of the Black sisters seemed to resemble each other, both Andromeda and Narcissa were tall but Andromeda had straight dark brown hair whereas Narcissa's was black. Maybe Andromeda's and she mother-in-law's noses were a bit similar, but there the comparison stopped. Bellatrix didn't look like any of the other sisters; she was shorter, had a bit of pale complexion which the others didn't and sported black curls.

Narcissa introduced her first to Andromeda and Ted. They were lovely and she immediately felt comfortable with them. Bellatrix and her husband Tom didn't seem too impressed with Mara and politely muttered "nice to meet you". Dinner started and Draco took a seat next to her. Somehow Mara's attention was drawn to his hand and she saw that he was wearing his wedding ring.

_The hypocrite._

Draco felt Mara's gaze and promptly put his hand under the table and rested it on his knee.

Dinner was in full swing and everyone was happily chatting away. She tried she best to get something to eat but she felt uncomfortable again because Bellatrix was staring at her with an interrogative, curious look.

"So, this is your new daughter-in-law you have written so much about, Narcissa" she said first, glancing at Narcissa, then to Mara. Narcissa looked shy and her face blushed, then it was quiet for a little while until Bella's husband spoke.

"I am sorry Lucius. I wanted to hold my tongue but if you ask me. I find all of this to be rather peculiar".

Lucius glared at his brother-in-law but did not speak, yet.

"When you think about it. It's highly unusual. I am familiar with arranged marriages, especially in royal circles but I do have to say..". He paused momentarily before resuming.

"I haven't heard of a marriage where one where one is forced to marry the enemy, so war doesn't break out again", Tom argued.

Mara dropped she fork on the plate and it made everyone look at her and she felt her face turn red, embarrassment washed over and the only thing she could do was stare at her plate.

"For the record, Thomas. Mara is and will never be looked upon as an enemy, we have _all_ ", and he looked around the table "grown quite fond of her". She blushed even more upon hearing Lucius' statement.

"Furthermore, I do not understand your concerns for you happen to reside in Scandia, so I hardly see why this 'arrangement' is any of your concern"", Lucius bit out, anger seeping through his voice. He was trying to keep it together but felt his patience wailing at the second.

Tom made an apologetic gesture with his hands and said he didn't mean that, that he had only been curious, but then looked at Bellatrix with a mean and smug smile.

There was a tense atmosphere afterwards that seemed to go away only at the end of the evening. It was time to dance and soon all the couples took to the dance floor and started the first dance, the waltz. Even Lucius's mood seemed to have improved as he spun around with his wife.

_Did I mention all couples were dancing?_

No. Not all couples. Everyone except her and Draco because she two were still at the table. Obviously, Tom and Bellatrix had seen this, and the latter called out to Mara and asked why she were still sitting. Mara exchanged a look with Draco, and she saw that he also knew what they had to do. They had to dance as to not arouse suspicion, she had already seen Narcissa anxiously glancing over to them both.

Draco gave her a nod with his head before resting his hand very, very briefly on Mara's upper back. Since she had not expected this movement from him at all, Mara flew forward and knocked she wine glass over. Bellatrix saw this and a mean expression appeared on her features. Then Mara and Draco walked to the dance floor together and took on the position to waltz but as soon as she felt his hand on her hip she was startled again. He leaned forward briefly, intending to speak in her ear.

"Stop flinching", he said with frustration in his voice.

"I'm sorry", she whispered back to him and willed herself to relax a bit, telling herself that the evening was soon over.

The rest of the waltz was equally awkward, but luckily the orchestra stopped playing and Mara excused herself and walked into the ladies' room. She didn't have to, but she had to recover from a variety of things that bothered her.

1\. Being around Draco all evening. 2) Draco had touched her, and it felt as if her whole body burning from head to toe, especially the places where he rested his hand, her shoulder, neck and back. Her breathing had become noticeably short and her heart was pounding like crazy and there was nothing she could do go about.

She eventually composed herself; gathered the courage and headed back. She came back a little too early because she heard Bellatrix having a conversation with Narcissa that was not intended for she ears.

"Honestly, Narcissa. How COULD YOU? She is so boring never mind the fact that she looks like she could be his older sister," she said in a mocking tone.

"Trixie," Andromeda said sharply but it was too late because the damage was done. Bellatrix looked a little embarrassed, and Narcissa's gaze at Mara was full of pity.

Mara's mouth opened to say something but then closed, she lowered her eyes and went back to the table where Draco was sitting and stared into the distance. Draco had seen everything, yet he didn't speak to her, to console her. A part of him wanted to but he couldn't find the words and he felt partly responsible for the way this evening had turned out.

When the evening FINALLY, FINALLY came to an end, Mara said a short goodbye to everyone, even to Tom and Bellatrix, who gave she another condescending look, before almost running to the carriage. It almost left before it pulled up again and Draco stepped inside. Oh GREAAAT, she thought. Just what she needed, another unfriendly face.

At least she had figured out who Draco copied his behaviour from, he and Bellatrix were two peas in one pod. She felt angry at how she was treated by both and scolded herself for agreeing to his stupid plan. Refusing to speak to him, she remained silent during the entire trip but when the castle was in sight he was the one that initiated contact again.

"Thanks again" he said timidly.

"You are welcome" she answered crisply. When she arrived at the castle, she got out and returned directly to she suite not even looking back at Draco.

What a horrible day she thought to herself once she had taken a bed and lying in she bed.

There was something to be said for solitude, she thought. She would rather spend the rest of her stay in Astella completely alone than have endure one of these nights again. Shortly after this thought she succumbed to feeling exhausted and fell asleep.

*********************

**The next day, Arvendon Castle, The King's study**

Lucius was busy reading a proposal for independence from Leidal when suddenly his wife stormed into the room and began to pace up and down the room.

"Narcissa, my darling. What's wrong?", the king said.

She didn't answer and kept pacing, apparently not about to stop any time soon. Lucius put the proposal away; took off his glasses and focused on his wife, she had now his full attention.

"Narcissa. As the old Astellian saying goes", he started.

"He who is silent about what is bothering him will not find a solution to what is bothering him. So, please talk.".

Narcissa just scoffed and shook her head at her husband. At this point Lucius decided it was better to let her be for a moment and for he knew his wife well enough and trusted that she would explain sooner or later. And he was right because shortly after Narcissa stood still, sighed deeply, shook her head again before finally directing her attention to her husband.

"She _flinched,_ Lucius", she said.

"What? Who?", the King asked in confusion.

"Mara. Every time Draco touched her, she _flinched_ ", Narcissa explained exasperated.

"So. I don't see what the problem is. Or are we forgetting that they were strangers before they wed?", he stated.

Narcissa sighed again.

"The problem is, my love, my sweet husband that I am fairly certain Draco hasn't _touched her_ until last night. And _if._. if _he hasn't touched her_ , _he surely hasn't_... or _they haven't .._ you know.. Which means that _she is still a_ ..-.

Narcissa didn't finish the last part, thinking she had been clear enough without going into many details and hoped she would not have to speak more about her son's sex life.

"OH", Lucius said, finally catching up to what his wife was saying and the realisation what the consequences could be dawning in his mind.

"OH, indeed" Narcissa answered dejected.


	8. Tell me the truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oi folks, it is me again. Heads up.. In my story Bella and Tom/Voldy have a son together, called Andrew. That Andrew is going to be up to something in chapter 9; "The Birthday". 
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to two people that regularly post comments, MythalGivesYouDreams and Tw3rkingPizza . Thank you so much.
> 
> p.s. "Baris" is the name of my son.
> 
> PS.2. I AM NEVER WRITING IN Y/N AGAIN IT IS SUCH A PAIN TO ADJUST THINGS but I rewrote all 11 chapters and changed the POV to SHE

"I assure you the situation is grave, Sire. We had hoped the marriage would bond the two countries, not drive them further apart", advisor Baris said with a stern voice. "But unfortunately, the public has not reacted favourably at all. The people feel fooled by this marriage and even though they appreciate the fact that the war is over, that does not mean that the resentment has disappeared. Nor does it help that her son and the princess have not yet appeared together anywhere under the guise of fulfilling their royal duties.".

Lucius looked at the clever young man, with jet-black hair and a friendly face who had made a fast career and had now become a junior advisor, how impressive the King thought.

"Aha I see, well that is a rather unfortunate development indeed. Anything else of importance I need to be aware of?" he asked his advisor.

Mr. Baris sighed and looked uncomfortable, he seemed to be arguing with himself internally.

"I don't know if I should discuss this with you but there is another matter... People are talking... There are rumours." and Lucius had frowned in confusion.

"What kind of rumours?", he inquired.

"I don't know much about it but what I've heard about the prince & princess staying in the castle but live separately. That her son is rather spending his time with two 'court ladies' instead of with Princess Mara.".

Ah. So Narcissa was right after all, he thought. "That is all I know, Sire. I advise you to ask the staff, including Mr Gleeson but also the head of the household, Madame Pomfrey, for additional information. Furthermore, I would think it would be wise if the Prince & Princess soon started to fulfil their royal duties in the country".

"Both are excellent ideas... Thank you, Mr Baris for her time.", Lucius said. The sheng man smiled, bowed and then left.

"Mr. Lewiston," Lucius called and not long after did his trusted servant enter the room.

"Yes, Her Majesty?". "Send a message to Ashwood requesting a meeting with Mr Gleeson and Madame Pomfrey and let them know that I want to see them as soon as possible,".

"Right away, Sire".

Left alone again, Lucius took his time to ponder on the matter. He had heard some very, very inconvenient revelations about the state of his son's marriage and it worried him. The negotiations with Leidal for independence hadn't started yet, even though they had send over drafts of the proposal but still to this day, the cease fire was at risk and the relations between the two countries weren't amicable. Certainly now Astella could not afford to make a mistake... What was his son thinking or what were his reasons? He didn't understand, the only thing he did understood that it would be wise if he got to speak to Draco soon so worse could be avoided.

************************

In hindsight, October was a month Mara would have skipped in its entirety. Where to start? In the first place a severe case of homesickness had snuck up on her, affecting her quite horribly even though she had received letters from Hermione, who said that her mother was getting better slowly, thank God.

In the last letter Mara's mother had apologized for not visiting sooner, giving the excuse of "restoring Leidal" again and, like Narcissa & Lucius, leaving on a lengthy international state visit. Yet they were glad to inform her that they would be visiting soon, probably before the end of the year.

Oh great, she thought to herself. Just what she needed, more people prodding into her "marriage" to Draco. As if Draco's aunt wasn't bad enough. Yes, unfortunately they hadn't gone back yet, at least they were supposed to go back but they had decided to extend their stay.

What was worse, their son, Andrew had come over as well. Children resemble their parents either in appearance or character and it was clear that Andrew had inherited the unpleasant nature of both his mother and father. He was around the same age as Draco she learned. He looked a lot like his mother, with the black curly hair and the piercing brown eyes, only that he was much taller than Bella, in that regard he clearly had taken after his father. Andrew was haughty and arrogant, just like his parents, and had no qualms telling people exactly how he felt and often took a condescending stance, mocking the opinions of his nephews and even uncle regarding current affairs with Leidal.

She didn't like him for the reasons mentioned above but there was also something else. Initially she thought she were wrong and must have been delusional yet...on more than one occasion she had spotted him staring at her.

One time, to her horror, she had caught him sizing her up, from her neck to her chest... When she noticed he quickly changed his gaze to someone or somewhere else. It was no use denying it, Mara felt uncomfortable around the Black-Riddle family and was counting down the days till they left which was said to be around the first week of November.

Bella, for one took a particular pleasure in embarrassing Mara. A few days after the banquet she had been invited back to Arvendon but this time for a high tea amongst the ladies, which was scheduled on a Sunday unfortunately. This meant she couldn't spend time with Dante & Theo, who were supposed to come round, to her dismay.

Mara was quite nervous and not feeling at ease at the beginning of the high tea initially but fortunately it turned out to be not a total disaster for Bella seemed to leave she alone. At the end of the afternoon, she felt a lot more at ease, cheerfully engaging in conversation with mainly Andromeda who was lovely as always. Things were going great... until Bella directed her attention towards her.

"So, Mara...What's it like to be a married woman and live in Astella's court now? Did you adjust well to the change?", she asked sweetly and she thought that was unlike her but didn't think much of it. Maybe she decided to be nice to her, for a change? As always, she didn't quite know what to answer but in this case the best option was to lie again.

"Well I can't say that it wasn't an adjustment. As you may know I was used to being in my own company for many years but now things are different of course. I enjoy being married _(lie)_ and being in this beautiful country of ours and exploring it has been pleasurable. _(OK. Astella was beautiful yes and the people were lovely too)._ In fact, I haven't missed Leidal that much since I have come here". (Yeah that was a _big fat lie)._

"And how are you and Draco getting along?", Bella inquired. Narcissa was exchanging glances between she and Bella, to Mara she shot a compassionate one to Bella an inquisitive one, as if she wanted to know where exactly Bella was going with this "interrogation".

"Fine, we.... We like spending time together" ( _fattest fucking lie ever_ ), she murmured, hoping that would be it and she would change topics.

"IN the bedroom as well, I hope?", Bella suddenly followed up with.

She was glad that she had just taken a sip of her drink or else it would have come right out. Her face flushed immediately, and her eyes had grown big from the unexpected bomb that had just gone off.

"Bella!", Narcissa hissed to her sister to which Bella replied with a seemingly innocent "What?".

"There is no need to be embarrassed, surely we can talk about these matters freely. After all, we are sans our men now aren't we?" she continued.

"Or are our spouses hiding in the bushes and eaves dropping? ", Bella chuckled and she looked around smilingly, 'trying' to spot the male members of the royal family.

"I know we can discuss things in private among ourselves without the intrusion of our husbands but if you don't mind I am not keen to hear anything about what my _son_ is doing in the privacy of his bedroom. Also, your question is immensely rude and highly inappropriate, Bella.", Narcissa hissed again.

Bella made a faux apologetic gesture with her hands.

"Oh come on I was only curious. It was an honest inquiry since you know Mara mentioned that she was single for many years. Just wanted to know if she enjoyed that _aspect_ of marriage. We all know that it is vital to sync with each other in the bedroom. Really. Don't get your knickers in a twist, Cissy.", Bella said condescendingly to which Narcissa gave her a menacing glare.

That seemed to startle Bella a bit and she probably understood that she had gone too far.

"Well alright... if it appeases you, my dear sister, I will apologize", Bella reluctantly stated. This seemed to change Narcissa's disposition towards her sister slightly but only... slightly.

Bella looked directly at she and somehow that made she flush even more than she already had.

"Mara, I apologise for my inappropriate question. Forgive me", she said earnestly until two seconds later a mean and condescending smirk appeared on her face.

The only thing Mara could do was nod and then stare at her plate, hoping it would open the vortex to an alternative universe and swallow she up. It took a lot of strength to just sit there after the 'incident" having all those eyes on she and even worse, seeing compassionate gazes from her mother-in-law and Sophia, who was present as well.

Thankfully, her ordeal ended soon after and after quickly saying goodbye she just about sprinted to her carriage, in a strange way thankful she could go to Ashwood instead of staying here.

As the carriage moved slowly she started to, against her will, think about what had happened today.

**_That bitch Bella._ **

Mara would be happy to never see her again. She suspected didn't she? All of them did. And, Mara, as the idiot she could sometimes be, had just made things worse because she didn't answer Bella's question and basically added more fuel to the fire. Oh God. If Bella suspected, then Narcissa eventually would too and Lucius and then eventually somehow word would get out to Leidal and her parents!

This possibility made her head spin. When she arrived in Ashwood she couldn't find Draco anywhere and Dante & Theo had already left. Because she was still embarrassed AND had to gather her thoughts she went to her favourite spot here, the beach. By now it had become too cold to swim but that didn't stop her from an occasional walk.

There was another reason why she liked to go to the beach, on a sunny day, at a certain spot, if she looked closely she could see Leidal in the distance. Unfortunately, that was not the case on this day but still she sat down where she always sat. Immersed in thoughts she was oblivious to the visitor approaching she from behind until it was too late.

"So, this is where you come to avoid me," he said.

She looked back and she saw Draco standing there. Oh fantastic! Awesome! We have successfully escaped from the mean aunt only to be greeted by her equally spiteful nephew. Mara quickly she got up, wiped the sand off her dress and then faced him, she was in no mood to deal with his antics while she had just survived his aunts.

"Avoiding you? No... I am not. If I were to, it would mean that your presence is of such importance to me that I actively seek ways to not be around you. That's not the case, I can assure you " to which Draco chuckled arrogantly.

"Wow, wow. You certainly seemed to have changed from a meek mouse into a feisty one, lately. Hhhm, but it is evident that something is bothering you.. What happened? Did my aunt Bella rattle your cage again?", he smirked.

The bastard, of course he had to rub things in. She took a few steps in his direction and stood right in front of him, determined to ask him the one question she had wanted ever since she got here.

"I have had a lovely afternoon, thank you. I am sure you had one as well, in Katherine's and Pansy's company", she remarked sarcastically.

He shook his head and said that both ladies had not been in the castle today.

"Ah what a pity. Well if you'll excuse me.", she stated sarcastically, eager to walk away but he took had suddenly moved in front of she and effectively blocking her way. This slightly perturbed her, why was he eager to not let her leave? It was nothing like him, yet that didn't diminish her wish to get away in the slightest. She took ANOTHER step forward, but he repeated the same motion and by now it had started to get on her nerves until something dawned on her.

"OH. Wait a minute. I get it. You are here to ask me for another favour again am I right?" and she crossed her arms over her chest while waiting for her response.

He shifted nervously again, just like the first time he needed help and she could tell that her inclination was right. He briefly bit his lip before speaking and then decided to get things over with.

"They probably forgot to tell you today, I can tell. Next Friday is my father's birthday and we, well my mother is organizing a little surprise party. I was hoping that you would act just like the last-".

Mara started to laugh which surprised Draco because he was staring at her in confusion. After that, a thought crept into her head, a clever idea that might answer the one question she had for months now.

"You know what? Quid pro quo. I might be inclined to do you a favour _if_ you answer my question and do so truthfully".

"This might be interesting, go ahead and ask.", he shrugged, trying his best to convey that he wasn't curious yet deep down he was. She gathered her courage and moved slightly in his direction and then gazed directly at him.

"I have been here for months but from the get-go. from the very beginning you have been acting horrible towards me. Why?", she asked him, hoping he hadn't noticed the trembling in her voice.

His entire demeanour changed from arrogance to insecurity and she clearly could see that she had hit an uncomfortable nerve. He didn't reply yet that didn't stop Mara to, once again, get a bit closer to him.

"What have I ever done to YOU? What? I don't understand. I didn't ask for this, just like you didn't. We are both in the same boat, together, can't you see? Do you think I wanted to leave everything and everyone to come and move to a hostile country and live with someone that despises me and everything I stand for?" and shit she was faltering, trying to keep it together but failing.

"Well. I have a novel idea to share with you, why don't you go back if you are so unhappy here huh??", Draco hissed meanly but there was a flicker of hurt in his eyes to be seen that she didn't spot.

"I would want to but I can't. I'm just as unwanted _there_ as I am _here_ " and there her voice went again and worse, her eyes started to tear up slightly too.

Something changed in his expression and it looked like he wanted to say something, but she didn't give him the chance. She sighed.

"Look, I -. ", Draco started but for some reason she didn't want to hear his explanation anymore, seeing how he reacted just now. It didn't matter anyway, and it was a stupid thing to ask.

"You know what... Never mind, forget I asked. I sincerely doubt she would actually tell me the truth".

His face visibly hardened after her sentence, but he didn't respond; just stood there semi-glaring.

" As for your request; I am sorry, but I am going to have to decline. As much as I respect your mother, I can't do it. I can't play the part of the _loving_ wife because it isn't real and it doesn't matter if I do anyway, because _they know_ , Draco."

This was the first time she had used his first name and very briefly it had taken him by surprise, but she didn't notice it.

"Who are _they_ and what do _they_ know?", Draco asked annoyed.

"Your parents. Your brother, Theo, your aunts and uncles, they aren't stupid. You should give them more credit; they are fully aware that we haven't spent one afternoon together let alone a nig-.".

A sudden wave of shame came over Mara making her unable to finish her sentence. He looked at her with a look of pity but soon his face hardened again. Wait a minute. SHE HAD done nothing to be ashamed of. He should be ashamed. Suddenly she got a feeling of courage and she stepped closer to him, eager to tell him just exactly how she felt.

"I simply do not want to keep appearances any further. Really, at this point all of them can be knowledgeable of the fact that I don't care about you at all,".

It was a heartless thing to say but hey she had learned from the best after all. She gave him a sarcastic smile and saw that his expression was a mixture of anger and annoyance.

Wonderful, she thought, got you, you bastard.. Happy with putting him in his place, she turned around and walked back but two seconds later something happened that she couldn't have predicted in a million years. He had grabbed her wrist and turned she around and before she could do anything, he'd taken the other wrist in his hands as well and pulled she towards him. He was breathing quickly, and his eyes seemed to change expression quickly. He was too close AND suddenly she regretted her earlier bravery.

"Now. Now. Miss Mara, haven't they thought you it is poor etiquette to lie or weren't she paying attention that day?", he said in a mocking voice and with eyes that wanted to pierce through hers.

She was too shocked to react to his accusation, let alone get away from him. He had completely startled she with this impulsive act and it had a disastrous effect on her. Her heart was stammering, and her breathing was uneven and to make matters worse she was completely mesmerized by the intensity in his eyes and the way seemed to be shifting from green to nearly silver at certain parts but eventually she regained her senses.

"What has gotten into you? Are you mad? Let go of me, right now", she stammered but she didn't let she go, in fact he was still holding her wrists in his hands and standing close. Too close.

"I didn't lie. I totally meant what I said just now, and I do not appreciate being called a liar", Mara said coolly but her voice had wavered and he must have noticed. Wanting to wriggle free from his hold, she attempted to pull her hand away but it was futile for he was just too damn strong.

 _"_ Hhm. Nice effort, but I still don't find your statement credible", he nonchalantly remarked.

"I...Well I", were the only things she could say, trying very hard to formulate some kind of words but utterly failing.

"No. I don't believe you. _You do care about me, don't you Mara?",_ he stated with a soft voice that showcased vulnerability to her astonishment.

His eyes seem to plead with her to admit what both knew to be true, but the moment didn't last long because soon he was back to being his usual arrogant self.

"You know what, no need to answer. I doubt that you would be telling the truth anyway", he smirked. He had just taken her words from earlier and used them against she and the fact that he outsmarted she made him happy, she could tell from his expression.

He let go of her wrists and stepped back. For a second she glanced at the exact places where he had held her before and a variety of emotions seeped through her, from anger to being toyed with again to confusion but also... stupidly feeling immensely attracted to him and almost wishing she were "held" by him again.

"Don't forget. Friday. Sandlewood", he smirked. _Friday. Next Friday? Oh No._

"Wait, Friday, that is the 26th..".

"Yes, so? Why? Do you have plans or something?", Draco frowned.

"No. No, I'll be there.", she reluctantly said to which Draco gave she a smile. It was unnerving. She knew it was a smile meant to mock her but r she couldn't help but being affected by it.

"Well, that's settled then. Now if you'll excuse me. I am feeling rather peckish and I believe it is close to dinner time", he remarked pompously.

"I assume that you will want to stay here a bit longer after I have taken up so much of your time. I'll leave you alone now" and then he had walked over the dunes back to the castle.

_It took Mara half an hour to do the same._

******************

Upon entering the castle, Mr Gleeson had quickly walked towards him before Draco could enter the dining hall.

"Your Highness, her presence is required at Arvendon ".

"At this hour? Why?", Draco asked, clearly confused, it wasn't like his father to demand his presence on a whim.

"I don't know, Sire. All I know is that the King is expecting you."

That was strange, Draco thought, but he ordered the carriage to be prepared. When he arrived, he went to his father's study and knocked on the door.

"Come in", his father said, normally friendly, but not this time.

"Sit down, Draco", his father said firmly and then sat down himself. He looked at his son and wondered where to start. He was angry, terribly angry, but on the other hand he didn't want to be too hard on his son either. He didn't like this, having to act like the strict father but on the other hand, him being too lenient on his sons might have gotten them in this mess in the first place. Draco stared at him tensely, whatever it was that bothered his father, it must be seriously bothering him and linked to him. Crap.

"May I ask what the hell you're doing, Draco?", the king asked after a short silence between them both.

"I don't know what you're talking--" Draco started but couldn't finish his sentence.

"Don't take me for a fool, son", Lucius interrupted sharply.

"I've heard some things about how you've been acting towards Mara these past few months", Lucius said while simultaneously gauging the reaction of his son.

"Oh, from WHO, then? Dante or Theo for sure? Those arseholes. I'll teach them to snitch on me", Draco immediately sneered. The king shook his head.

"Dante and Theo didn't say anything, probably out some misguided loyalty towards you, although they should have, and I'll speak to them about it. Now. I am going to ask you some questions and the only answer you can give is either a yes or a no. If you choose to not respond I will draw my conclusions. Does that sound fair to you?", he asked.

Draco nodded and that was the go ahead the king needed and he cleared his throat before speaking.

" Is it true, Draco that you left Mara alone for weeks while her mother and I were away, preferring to stay here in favour of Ashwood?".

Draco didn't say anything and his father continued.

"Is it also true that you insisted that Miss Parkinson and Edwards become Mara's ladies-in-waiting which Mara rightfully so rejected?".

"Is it also true that you spent her wedding night with Miss Parkinson and Miss Edwards instead of her wife and that the aforementioned ladies are staying with you at Ashwood?".

Draco's face dropped and he started to shift nervously on his chair. The next question was the most awkward one to ask, Lucius thought but it had to be done.

"And finally. Is it true that you.. and Mara have not... consummated the marriage yet and that she, in fact is still a maiden till this day", the king asked with trepidation.

Draco looked down and then nervously went through his hair and then took a deep breath.

"Since you're not saying anything and seeing how uncomfortable you are, I can conclude that the rumours are true.", Lucius concluded with a sigh and he shook his head.

"Why are you doing this, Draco? Why are you jeopardizing the already fragile agreement we have with Leidal? Do you wish us to go to war again? I DO NOT UNDERSTAND, please explain herself further".

"Of course I don't want us to revisit the past, Father.", Draco stammered.

" Are you sure because your words don't seem to correlate to your actions at all! One thing, my boy, one thing I want to make _clear to_ you if we were to... God forbid go to battle with Leidal again, you _AND her brother_ will join in battle. I did her mother a favour last time because I knew it would break her heart if something happened to you both. However, if there is another physical altercation with our neighbour she and Dante _will fight_ _as men_ **_among_** _your men_. Is that clear?" Lucius concluded angrily.

Draco nodded in confirmation and suddenly he felt quite stupid about how he had behaved and wished he had done things differently than he should have heard this lecture now and it was clear his father wasn't through with him yet.

There was an awkward short silence but the next moment the king spoke again his voice was a bit gentler, fortunately for Draco.

"I understand that it is not easy, to have to marry someone you do not know. I understand and we really appreciate what you have done for is because everyone knows that you reluctantly agreed to this but... but... That doesn't give you any right to behave horribly to someone who is; just like you, innocent in the matter. Above all, me and your mother did not raise our sons to be a bad. I am quite disappointed with you if I'm honest. Look, we never expected for you to fall in love with her although granted that wouldn't be a horrible notion. But that's up to you... I can't force you to love her but I am curious, Draco.".

 _"What is it that WE see and she don't?_ ", he inquired.

"She gets along well with your mother, Dante and Theo and their respective girlfriends. She could have complained to her parents, to whomever in Leidal about the stunts you have been pulling a long time ago, but she hasn't. She _hasn't_. It is clear to me and probably everyone that she has good intentions and is trying her best, but you seem to do everything in her power to sabotage her and our efforts".

The King took a quick pause before continuing.

"I have decided on a couple of things and I would like to inform you about some new rules you will have to obey. From now on you are going to behave normally towards Mara. I'm not saying that you should suddenly shower her with compliments and flowers, but you will have to behave civil towards her. No more stunts, Draco which means Miss Parkinson & Miss Edwards will have to leave the court as of tomorrow".

Draco looked shocked and wanted to say something, but his father shook his head.

"No need to argue with me over this. It has been decided. And also..." and Lucius paused for a moment.

"You are aware; surely; that I dislike discussing matters like this with you but... it is now a couple of months later and you haven't spent the night with her yet. If Leidal were to find out that she is still a maiden, it would be a clear violation of what we agreed to. Also, the date is not set in stone yet but I heard her parents will be visiting soon. Don't you think they will inquire about her... ehm status quo? Who knows, maybe they let a physician check her...-"

Lucius sighed deeply, good God, this was such an awkward conversation to have but luckily it was almost over.

"I know she might not be you type but do you really find her so unattractive then?", the king desired to know.

Draco thought about this question for a moment but remained silent. He thought back to what had happened in the afternoon and only then did he realise what he had done. On a whim he had grabbed her and didn't want to let go. He didn't understand what had gotten into him but somehow he couldn't stand the idea that she didn't care for him so he acted impulsively, for reasons he clearly denied were evident.

He also suddenly remembered how close she had been to him and that he had secretly liked it, how she had looked at him like a frightened deer with big eyes and that she had had more effect on him than he had thought. And... that Mara didn't look so unattractive up-close, on the contrary, she was rather beautiful if he was really being honest. That would be too much to admit though so once again Draco opted to refrain from comment.

"Whether you find her appealing or not. One of these days you are obligated to visit her bedchambers and if I were you I would do so soon."

There was yet another interlude before communication was exchanged again.

"Well that is all I wished to share with you. If you want you can spend the night here and go back in the morning. Your mother is in the drawing room and will be happy to see you".

Draco got up quickly, thankful this immensely awkward chat was over, but then understood that he had to _say something_ before leaving.

"Father, I'm sorry for...- ".

"It's all right, son. Just please don't make the same mistakes again" and Draco nodded again and walked towards the exit. He was just about to leave until Lucius spoke again.

"Draco?", his father asked and Draco turned around.

"I'm not the one you should be apologising to", Lucius reprimanded.

Draco allowed his father's words to sink in for a moment and then walked out of the room.


	9. The Birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writers note:
> 
> Sirius Black is in this and he has a daughter and a wife but he doesn't have dialogue. By now you must be aware that I am NOWHERE NEAR taking this the route of 'HP CANON" and I am probably mucking up JK's life's work but what she is gonna do? Sue me? Haha. I have no money.. Seriously though, don't sue me JK please.  
> At one point I shift over a bit to Draco’s POV and the use of “she” because the “you you you’s “are driving me nuts. 
> 
> As always. Sorry for shitty grammar.

It took at least 20 minutes before she could walk back to the castle. She did not understand a thing. What had just happened? Apart from the fact that her head was spinning, and her body seemed to be on fire collectively, her total bewilderment was the worst feeling to endure.

Once she had come to her senses again, she concluded that this must have been another cruel joke of his to continue fooling around with her. But... something in his eyes seemed to tell her that this was not the case, that his question was serious. Why was that? Why did he want her so badly to care about him when he had not given him a chance in six months to have any kind of understanding with him?

She lied and it was a miracle that her nose had not grown 10 centimetres because she didn't mean anything she said. She did care about him and had so from the moment she'd seen him.

 _She was such an idiot_. She never expected to become one of those women who ... would get feelings for somebody who treats she worthless, yet she had them. She didn't understand a thing. What was wrong with her? She had always trusted mind head instead of heart but now the latter seemed to overrule she several times and rendering her helpless. She hated it. She hated feeling like that, feeling helpless..

I AM SUCH AN IDIOT, she thought again.

Ugh, she remembered something else from that eventful afternoon. Yet another unpleasant evening was ahead where she and Draco had to perform as doting husband and wife, under the watchful eye of his family. Friday the 26th...

What were the odds? She shared a birthday with Lucius, of all people. This year, of course, she had not intended to celebrate her birthday; without family and friends (although Hermione had sent her a beautiful necklace) it would not have been a nice birthday anyway. What was there to celebrate in the first place.

No, nobody needed to know when her birthday was, and she wanted to keep it that way. When she arrived at the castle she didn't see Draco anywhere, not even at dinner (not that the two ate to get her, he often chose to take his meal in his study or earlier than Mara in the dining hall). After making enquiries she had heard that he had gone to Arvendon, at the king's request.

She didn't expect him back as the travel time was considerable, so she had, for the umpteenth time, an evening alone ahead of her. After dinner she went faithfully back to the library and continued with the book she was reading but she noticed several times that her concentration was weak, and her mind wandered off to the 'incident' in the afternoon.

He came back on Tuesday morning and, as usual, she had not seen him until noon. After lunch she were planning to go for a brisk walk on the beach. She walked ignorantly through the corridors; not knowing what was about to happen. She was still at the beginning of the hall, but a door suddenly opened, and a crying Kat ran outside, followed by an incredibly angry looking Parkinson.

Mara was confused. What the hell was going on?

Pansy waited there for a moment, apparently feeling Mara's eyes her eyes on her, and looking in her direction. Slowly she began to walk towards Mara, who started to frown. What would Pansy want to say to her? They were not talking to each other nor did she seen Pansy because the darling Draco was kind enough not to rub his escapades in his wife's nose as much.

Pansy stilled right in front of her with a furious expression on her face.

"My compliments... You got your way, I hope you're happy", Pansy said.

She frowned and shook her head at the sudden accusation.

"I beg your pardon?" Mara said, not understanding what she was talking about.

Pansy snorted and it looked as if she wanted to say something, but she stopped at the last moment. That girl... She really needed someone to teach her some manners and she would be glad to volunteer in a short moment if she continued.

"Like you don't know," she said with an implicating tone of voice. She sighed deeply, partly due frustration, partly from the fact that her blood was starting to boil.

"Miss Parkinson. I have no clue what you are referring to. I do not, I am curious to find out exactly you are accusing me of so please do share... I would advise you to do rather quickly and honestly... as I am in danger of losing my patience", she replied annoyed. An unbothered Pansy took one step into Mara's direction and then proceeded to look deeply into Mara's eyes. She smiled slyly, no meanly.

"He will NEVER love you. NEVER. So, do not waste your time pining after him like some daft cow. It is not going to happen." Pansy concluded with a sneer and still smirking viciously. Before she could say anything, Pansy had turned around leaving and left Mara there, feeling like someone had just thrown a bucket of ice on her head.

She stood there for a while and tried to think what Pansy could have been so angry about and then continued her way. When she arrived at the room where Katherine and Pansy had come from, she briefly looked into it. Draco stood with his back turned towards and leaned forward with both hands placed on his desk. She knocked on the door and he turned to glance at the person who had disturbed him from his thoughts.

Oh no. In her efforts to get answers she had totally forgotten about what happened on Sunday, underestimating what it would be like to see him again. It was AWKWARD as hell especially when recalled the incident, mainly focusing on how he held her, and her stupid heart sped up again. However, she had begun on this quest and now one had to finish.

"Can I come in?" she asked, and he nodded, his demeanour a lot different than she were used to, almost looking a bit defeated as it were. She took a few steps and stood still at an appropriate distance; her intention was not to get too close.

"Miss Parkinson almost bit my head off just now and I think she must have an inkling as to why.," she inquired with curiosity running through her veins. He sighed, took a moment's silence, and then began to give her an explanation.

"Pans... Miss Parkinson & Miss Edwards are leaving the castle today and won't be returning. Indefinitely" replied Draco in a voice that sounded apologetic? If it had been she had not noticed because she was too busy recovering from the bombshell he had just dropped.

"Aah... How unfortunate for you", she said with a slight sense of sarcasm. Well, that explained some things, Pansy must have thought Mara was responsible for their departure. Yet she hadn't said anything, so the question was? Who did?

There was a long silence before they spoke again and, in the meantime, he seemed to do his best not to look at her. He seemed embarrassed or was he feeling guilty? In any case it was an emotion she hadn't seen encountered before with him and it was a strange sight to behold and a tad unnerving to seem Draco, who was arrogant as they come, so insecure.

"I presume the ladies think I'm responsible for their untidy departure, but I didn't say anything to anyone about how things have been since I got here. I could have but I did not." she finished and bit her lip out of uneasiness.

Draco nodded and said he didn't doubt her statement which relieved her a little before Mara realised something. The order to This order came from higher up, had to be. She took one step closer to him and it made him backtrack one, but she hadn't noticed.

"This wasn't your decision, was it? But the King's?" she remarked, and it seemed to hit a spot because he flushed even more than before, and he didn't opt to answer.

" _Thought so_ ," she said after a while and then panic flowed through she the next moment for she had been right along and what she feared had become reality.

"That means that your parents know?" she asked him in a trembling voice and a million scenarios sounding off in her head as to what this would mean.

"My father is aware of the events that transpired over the past couple of months, yes. My mother? No idea but maybe she suspects something." and he shrugged slightly.

"I see" she said, and she gazed down to avoid looking at him. Suddenly it became exceedingly difficult to control her emotions and not to burst into tears and she wanted to leave as soon as possible. Once she composed herself, she looked at him directly again, unafraid and somehow angry.

"Well. Pity about your concubines but not to worry. You can always visit them." she remarked sarcastically. Anger was the second emotion that was going through she next to the initial sadness. Then she turned around and took large strides to get away as quickly as possible. When the door opened she heard his voice saying her name and she stilled immediately whether she wanted to or not.

"Look.. I made a mistake. I wish I had taken a different approach to.. all of this. Please accept my apology" he said with a flustered expression. Mara could tell having this conversation was difficult for him to have but she refused to let him off that easy.

While remaining in the same place, with her back to him, she tried to determine the authenticity of his apology and quickly concluded Lucius might have had anything to do with it.

"Too little, too late, Draco" she stated and then she left, headed towards her room so she could think.

She was not looking forward to Friday but... there was a little light at the end of the tunnel. This would mean that she would probably be in the company of Bella and co for the last time as they would leave a few days later.

On Wednesday and Thursday, she had not encountered Draco because she was out herself, for two days, together with Sara she had visited the markets and went to a play. After a few months she had had enough of moping around the castle like a pathetic girl and decided to go out and explore. Sara's company was pleasant, and she couldn't thank Sarge often enough for suggesting her.

Friday morning, she woke up, got dressed and went to the dining hall for breakfast, totally used to having all her meals alone or sometimes with Sara so she was not shocked to not see Draco's presence there.

It was her birthday today, but Mara didn't care, all she wanted was to survive the day and especially the party in the evening. For this occasion, she wore a burgundy red dress with ruby jewellery, a striking necklace, and a flower-shaped ring. The chambermaids and Sara said that she looked exceptionally beautiful, but she did not really care and soon after she left for the entrance where she met Sarge. He told her that Draco had left for Arvendon earlier (shocking) and so she got into the carriage and departed.

At Arvendon she was supposed to go straight to the banquet hall, but her attention was caught by something that happened further down the corridor. A conversation between a blond, tall girl, and Draco. She stood too far away to eavesdrop, (writers note the girl said: _"Oh come here, you grumpy old bastard"_ but shortly afterwards the girl hugged Draco and he started laughing.

Her heart sank... here she was happy not to have to face Pansy or Katherine anymore, but it seems he had already found someone else. Gee, he worked fast. The girl apparently gave a smile, and he did it back and she walked away. With lead in her shoes, she walked towards Draco who she had spotted by now. She was never very clever at picking up body language, so she did not see the way he currently was staring at Mara and that his eyes had been appreciative in the process of taking her in.

No, she was too busy being furious with him. How. Dare. He? She stormed off towards him, intending to let him that he had a crossed a line he should not have crossed.

"Listen. It is one thing that you paraded Katherine and Pansy about in Ashwood's, but I hope you are not going to embarrass me tonight with that girl because by God, Draco...I will inform my parents and my government about everything what happened the last couple of months. You will give me no other choice to do so" she threatened.

"What?" he said not understanding with a frowned-up look but then a knowing smile came on his face later.

"Are you referring to the lady of just now? Well, if it makes you feel any better. I did not ask her to hug me.. She is a tad impulsive, you know, but extremely sweet, one can't help but love her" he finished his little speech with a smirk.

This time her heart sank to the bottom of the Aspirian sea and the effects of which were undoubtedly visible on Mara's face.

"You _LOVE her_? So... you're going to marry _her_ when you and I get divorced?" she said to him in a hesitant voice. By God... How pathetic she sounded.

His expression immediately changed to a compassionate one and he felt like he should explain but she refused to hear it.

"Mara... She's my-". he started and at the same time he shook his head, but he could not finish the sentence.

"Sorry. None of my business...Shall we go inside?" she said without looking at him and she reached out her arm to him so he could lead she to the banquet hall.

When she came in, she went to the guest it was all about and congratulated him on his birthday. "Thank you, you as-" he wanted to say, but he got such a nudge from Narcissa that he immediately stopped talking. She said hello to Bella and co with great difficulty before she went to Andromeda. She saw the girl standing in the corner, this time accompanied with an older man, so it seemed, and his hair reminded Mara of Theo as it was pitch black.

But her attention was drawn to the woman that had been talking to Draco and she had to admit it.. She understood why Draco could be fond of her, because she was bloody beautiful with her long white, blond hair and long stature and azure eyes.

She must have stared too much because to her horror the girl came walking over towards Mara.

"YOU must be Mara" she said in excitement and to her surprise she immediately gave she a hug.

"It's so nice to meet you! Really. Dante said he had many interesting conversations with you on a variety of topics, I wish to do the same if you don't mind at one-point have an idea for Leidal's independence that I would like to discuss with she", the beautiful woman concluded with a smile.

Oh. Fantastic. Not only gorgeous but also smart. Brilliant, how the HELL would she be able to compete with her now. After engaging in some small talk Lucius had graced them with his presence a little while after.

"Aah, Mara. I see that you have already met my favourite niece" and he gave the girl a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm only your favourite niece because I'm named after you ", she chuckled.

"Shh. Lucia. The rest of the family don't need to know that" winked Lucius. "Come Mara, let me introduce you to my brother-in-law Sirius Black and his wife" and he introduced Mara to the kind looking man.

She saw Draco standing further away in conversation with Theo and Dante but when he saw her he looked away briefly and she could see that he did his best not to burst out laughing, apparently very amused about the misunderstanding.

Stupid goose, Mara... Apparently it was his niece. HE could have informed her. Oh no wait he had wanted to, she recalled but Mara had not let him explain. Mara looked at him once more and this time he stared back with a grin, looking extremely smug.

Dinner was ready so everyone sat down, and Mara sat next to Draco. While everyone was waiting and in deep conversation with each other Mara could not resist so she leaned towards him and spoke.

"You could have said something, you know", she stated, sounding a lot more annoyed then intending to.

" I wanted to, but you wouldn't let me explain. I am glad I didn't though for I would have missed that amusing little conversation" he said with a grin and this time turning his body to her.

"You're a jerk", she hissed at him and he just smiled, his gaze straight ahead again but as he approached she again, this time too close to her neck, honestly his lips were about to make contact but.....

"You are cute when you're jealous, Mara'" and she gasped out of indignance. She was going to respond immediately, telling him he was completely wrong; that she had NOT been jealous at all, but she couldn't say anything because Lucius was asking for attention.

"Dear guests, if I may have your attention... Thank you. Well, where do I start. First, I am grateful that I have been able to live another year in good health and I hope that many more, preferably in your company, will follow. I would like to thank you all for coming, I feel like a blessed man. Thank you and this one is for you" he toasted.

Everyone thought that this was the end of the speech, but Lucius continued.

"It has come to my attention that it is not only my birthday today, no I am happy to have the pleasure to -"

**Oh no.**

"To share a birthday with-" he continued.

**_GOD. NO._ **

"My wonderful daughter-in-law, Mara! You thought we would not find out, did she? Congratulations dear" and he raised his glass again. "Aah how lovely" said the other guests and they eventually came up to congratulate her.

The King & Queen were the first. Narcissa gave her a sweet hug and kissed she and Lucius gave she a short but sincere kiss on the cheek. Dante and Sophia, Theo and Rey, Andromeda and Ted, Sirius, Lucia, and his wife and finally Bella and her family followed. Bella kissed her briefly on both cheeks, Tom kissed her politely on one but Andrew... Andrew!

He had leaned forward, whispered congratulations and then kissed her, on the lower half of her face, actually near her neck, for what seemed to last forever. He retreated with a satisfied smile, especially when he saw her reaction for she had turned bright red. The only one who had not congratulated she yet was Draco, who had not moved until now and had only looked at Mara in disbelief.

"Draco... Aren't you going to congratulate your wife, or didn't she know it was her birthday?" asked his aunt " innocently."

"Of course, ... I knew, Aunt Bella" but his statement didn't seem credible. He got up, looked at Mara with a gaze she could not decipher, bent towards her, and let his lips rest briefly on her cheek.

"Call that a kiss?" smirked Bella. "Come on boy, you don't have to be ashamed of us, how about a good old snog on the mouth," Bella asked, enjoying taunting them way too much.

What...? And she looked at Draco in shuddering amazement.

"Bella!" warned Narcissa.

"I think everyone would like to start with their meals. The sooner we know, the sooner we can dance" she said with a forced smile at Bella and a second later an understanding one to Mara.

"Of course, Cissy. I don't want to ruin the programme for the evening," she said with a grin.

Mara could not get a bite through her throat but in the end, she managed to stuff a few pieces of game over her lips. After dinner, presents were handed out to Lucius. Much to Mara's surprise, everyone had thought of her as well and they gave her some nice gifts including a beautiful comb decorated with precious stones from Andromeda... Even Bella had a gift, a small painting and Mara immediately hated it.

"Where is your gift, Draco?' Andrew maliciously asked an embarrassed Draco, but he was quick to think.

"In Ashwood" he answered quickly. "I want to give it to her in privacy" he explained, and Mara commended him for his quick thinking.

Shortly after it was time for the moment she had dreaded, she had to dance with Draco but hoped she wouldn't have to and no one would notice, which was difficult Fbecause they were the only couple that was still sitting at the table.

Narcissa was subtle with her look but Draco understood what his mother meant so he asked Mara to dance, which she reluctantly agreed to. They made their way towards the dance floor, assumed the position and Mara had seconds to adjust to the fact that he was touching her again. Her one hand entangled with his, the other rested on his shoulder whereas he had one firmly on her back, a bit firmer than the previous time but Mara was too nervous to notice. Yet it still felt awkward to dance with him even though she had the presence of mind and body not to flinch this time.

She was trying to avert her eyes by looking elsewhere but Draco's gaze however was directed at her and after a few spins, she could not ignore him any longer.

"You could have _said something,_ you know", he said, and it was clear to Mara that he was annoyed by not being in the know.

 _Did not think you would care anyway_ , she wished to inform him, but fortunately she kept it to herself.

"I didn't think it was important " she answered briefly, and she avoided looking at him again.

"Not important? You could have saved me from embarrassment" he sneered lightly.

"I didn't know your father and mother were aware when my birthday was. I did not expect them to bring it up although it was sweet of them to include me in the festivities. Really, they are so kind, it was a sweet gesture. However, I had already made peace with the fact that I was not going to celebrate my birthday this year, and hence why I didn't tell anyone but apparently they found out".

"I understand but next time I would really appreciate it if you would at least inform ME and give me an heads up!", he whispered aggravatedly.

He had a point there to be honest. She could have argued that he had not made it very easy for her to communicate with him in the first place, but she wanted to close the subject, partly because she was being observed by.. Bella and co once more.

Mara apologised, smiling briefly at him and she hoped the others would take that as a sign they were getting along for she felt watched.. He returned the smile briefly and shortly after the orchestra stopped playing and she resumed their places again. The rest of the evening went well until the end, because then Andrew wanted to ask something.

"I'd like to stay at Ashwood for a few days... I am not looking forward to going back to school just yet so what do you say, cousin? Just like old times, fishing, and hunting together. If that is alright with she and Mara of course" he asked and when he had said her name, he had looked slyly in her direction.

Did she want Andrew to be in her vicinity? Hell, no but what could she say? It would have been immensely rude to refuse him so she replied that it would be lovely to have him over. By now she had gotten excellent at this lying thing. Draco agreed with her and said Andrew was more than welcome to stay which clearly delighted Andrew for he put on a big smile.

"Dante, please tell me that you will come to visit! ", Andrew asked sweetly. Dante was looking troubled and Draco sensed that his brother was upset about something. He didn't show it, however, and replied that he would be happy to come by when he had the chance.

Mara's second ordeal was over for it was time to go and she could not wait to get into the carriage.

"Are you and Draco going home at this hour?" asked Bella, feigning concern.

"Honestly, why? You'd better stay, don't she agree Cissy? Terrible things can happen at this hour... In my city, the nobles were attacked the t her day when they were travelling home late" and she shook her head for emphasis.

Mara could see that The Queen was not really in favour of her sister's idea, but she agreed reluctantly.

"Bella is right, Draco... It is best if you both stay the night. I will have your room prepared" and Narcissa exchanged an uncomfortable look with her husband.

Wait a minute. A room would be prepared.

**_Their room?_ **

And again, it felt as if someone had tilted an extra-large bucket of ice over her head. Now what? Did they have to retreat, exit together, or could she leave earlier and hope that he would choose another room later? Yes. Yes, that was a good idea! She excused herself, bid everyone goodnight and thanked Lucius & Narcissa for a pleasant evening.

Draco was smoking a cigar with Andrew in the corner, near the windows and she walked over to him.

"I'll... Go ahead... I mean go to the room" she said with a face as red as a tomato.

"I'll see you in a minute," Mara said and she tried her best to give him a knowing look, then politely nodded at Andrew as goodbye. Draco, somehow, had understood her plan and said he would be by shortly.

When she arrived at her room, Mara changed into wearing a nightgown but also opted for wearing a robe over it. She waited quite a considerable time to see if Draco would show up until she concluded that he had by now surely, had found a different sleeping arrangement so she took off her robe and got into bed.

There was a maid who alternated between working at Ashwood and Arvendon and she had seen her again tonight. The maid's name was Anna, a kind soul who was helpful to Mara and knew that sometimes she like to drink some milk before going to sleep. Most nights than not, Anna was friendly enough to get Mara some warm milk even if she did not request for it.

So, when there was a knock on her door Mara was convinced of two things... 1) Draco would not come. 2) Anna had gone to fetch milk for her. Because she was not ashamed of the maid in question, who had seen "everything" there was to see anyway, Mara didn't think about putting her robe back on.

She opened the door and shuddered next because no one other then but Draco stood at her door. Out of dread and sheer surprise she wanted to close the door again, it was an auto response, she could not do anything about it, but he put his foot in the door.

"Let me in", he hissed, in restrained anger and she did not know how, but she obeyed his command. Startled, she took a few steps back and only then did she realise that she was standing in front of him.. in her skimpy article of clothing.

She gasped and quickly crossed her arms in front of her chest, then rushed over to get her robe, turned to him, and put the garment on very quickly.

"What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you", she inquired, still startled by his presence.

"I'm sorry but _they_ " and Mara immediately understood who Draco was referring to "insisted on walking back with me. I could not come up with an excuse. Luckily, they just left, at least I hope so", he stated.

He briefly opened the door in expectation that his aunt, uncle, and cousin had gone to their respective lodgings, but he could not help but notice that Andrew, among others. was still standing there in the corridor. They were stalling, Draco knew, it was obvious.

"Shit, they're still there" he sighed.

"And now? What should we do now?" she asked him, currently remaining in a frantic disposition.

"They'll leave in time; it's been a long evening and they cannot stand in the corridor all night. Until then, I am forced to... to stay here for a while. As soon as THEY are gone, I will leave immediately", he mentioned apologetically, and he seemed to be aware how awkward this situation was for her.

She looked so different with her hair down, he thought. She always had her hair in a stupid little bun for the most part and he had no idea that her hair reached over her shoulders. And uhm well... He had not done it on purpose but... he did notice that her nightgown had quite a cleavage (which he would not have suspected of her to wear) and made her plump looking breasts stand out.

Later he would convince himself that the alcohol must have plagued him, which was not true but... at that moment he had felt himself getting a little bit, against his will of course, a _little excited_ , to call it that.

She sighed and sat down on the sofa, where she remained for a while alternating between staring at him and staring down.. Draco still heard voices in the hallway unfortunately and after a while Mara getting so sleepy, she started to yawn openly.

"You can sleep if you want to. You don't have to wait for me" he started. She said nothing, only looked at him attentively and then a bit flustered before she got up and moved towards the bed. She turned the duvet over and reluctantly stepped into it, but she didn't lie down yet but looked at Draco and bit her lip.

"Seriously, I mean it... Go to sleep, they will go soon".

This was awkward as hell but again Mara felt the need to comply at least for now, so she lied down BUT did not remove her robe. Draco saw this and found it be a bit silly.

"Do you always sleep with your robe on?" he asked her a tad, mocking in his tone.

Her reaction amused him. She angrily held the duvet with one hand so she could get rid of her robe with the other one. Mara then pulled the duvet up high and then laid down again, this time to her side.

She was so embarrassed, so she made sure to pull the duvet slightly over her head. Later she would wonder how on earth sleep was going to take her but eventually her tired eyes grew closed and she drifted off.

He looked at her while she was sleeping and how her chest rose and fell with every breath, she looked beautiful and peaceful even though she slept strangely. Well, strange... her one leg was wrapped around the duvet and it gave him a nice look at one of her legs that was slightly exposed. And once more, he felt things he should not have felt, and he did not understand why.

Ok. She wasn't ugly. He had already admitted, that hadn't he? But that did not mean that he... that he...

OH FUCK IT. He became more and more tired and tired and did not feel like thinking anymore. That meddlesome aunt of his, he could without seeing her to last a lifetime, pulling this stunt on purpose and worst of all. Andrew came to stay, and Draco frankly had no interest to engage in activities with his nephew if he were completely honest.

Draco could not keep his eyes open anymore and thought he might be able to take a nap on the sofa for a while, so he tried that, but the sofa was hard and unpleasant. He stared at the bed... and at her.

There would not be anything wrong with him resting on the bed for a moment and not IN IT and they were "married", weren't they? So, he walked very slowly to the bed, took off his shoes and SAT DOWN instead of lying, pulled the pillow beneath him and rested his head on it. He looked at her for a moment and then closed his eyes.

_Morning._

_Light._

_Yelling_

**_Yelling?_ **

_And then a thump, something or someone that seemed to fall on the floor_.

He opened his eyes and saw a confused Mara sitting on the ground, staring at him with big eyes, looking comical yet incredibly endearing.

"Are you alright? ," he wished to know, and he reached out a hand to her, trying not to burst out laughing. She grabbed her robe (unfortunately, thought Draco) and then quickly put it on, ignored his hand, stood up and took a few steps back.

"Why were you in my BED??", she nearly screamed. Draco glanced at her and saw that her face was part confusion and partly riddled with panic.

"Sorry. sorry...I waited a long time yesterday but at one point I could not take it anymore. I wanted to sleep on the sofa but that was not pleasant so I.. tried the bed. Honestly I only wanted to rest my eyes for a moment. I didn't mean to fall asleep" he said apologetically, and he really meant it.

There was an unpleasant silence between them before she broke it.

"Could... Could you leave please? I... I have to get dressed", she stammered uneasy.

"Oh of course, yeah.. Uhm I'll go" and he hurried to the exit without giving her another gaze, sparing her more humiliation. Immediately after he had closed the door a smile crept on his face, but he wasn't exactly sure why.

He bathed and changed in another room but was disturbed by a knock on the door and he offered to enter. It was Dante and he still did not seem happy, even looked downright uncomfortable.

"Good morning, brother", Draco said.

"Hey... Listen, I want to discuss something with you, and I want to do that between us, without the rest of our family listening in", Dante said.

"Something's bothering _you isn't?"_ and Draco pointed to his brother _"_ Am I right? Since yesterday" and Dante nodded.

"It's... Maybe I am wrong but... watch out for Andrew at Ashwood's, will she?" Dante asked awkwardly. Draco was perplexed to hear this. Why would he have to watch out for his cousin?

"What do you mean?" Draco wanted to find out and Dante sighed...

"Watch out with him... near Mara" he warned his brother.

"What", said Draco in disbelief. "You can't be serious".

"I am, Draco. I do not like the way he looks at her, have she seen the way he kissed her yesterday? It really wasn't appropriate at all", Dante iterated.

Draco frowned; he had not seen any appropriate behaviour but maybe he had not paid considerable attention so he asked his brother if he possibly could have misread the situation to which Dante shook his head.

"No... I'll do my best to visit you soon if my obligations allow me to" Dante continued.

"But I think it's wise to make sure Andrew isn't too often alone with Mara", he said finally and looked at Draco tense.

"Alright Dante, I'll make sure of that" and Dante felt relieved to hear this.

"Well, let's go to for breakfast. I'm starving" he grinned, and he put his arm around his brother's shoulder, and they walked away together.


	10. The Exodus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IF YOU LIKE MY STORIES PLEASE: Buymeacoffee.com/Bailloo2207

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola it is me again.. It has been a while since I updated, by now you must know that I am a shitty and lazy writer. Some major stuff is gonna happen to Mara in this chapter so I will edit the tags. Please do NOT read if you get triggered by a attemptive assault. I don't want people to feel bad..
> 
> I am still gonna continue writing this story but it is annoying to be not a native English speaker and I hate that I chose a "you" structure or x/reader structure because it is a pain to write with especially if you are not a native Brit.
> 
> I FORGOT TO MENTION: GINNY IS NOT RON'S SISTER IN THIS. Just wanted to clarify this before people get confused.

**_WARNING: attempt of an assault ahead. Do not read if you do not want to. And to avoid confusion: Ginny is NOT Ron's sister in this, so we are clear._ **

**_IF YOU LIKE MY STORIES PLEASE: Buymeacoffee.com/Bailloo2207_ **

**_*****************************************************_ **

The day after the disastrous birthday dinner, the butler, Mr Gleeson, stopped her after breakfast what she had spent in solitude because apparently Andrew and Draco were still asleep.

"Your Highness... " asked a drawling voice which she identified being Mr. Gleeson.

"Yes, Mr Gleeson?".

The butler briefly lifted his glasses up on his nose and looked at you inconspicuously.

"I have been ordered to relay the message that The Queen and the Queen have left an extra birthday present for you in the drawing room".

"Oh, how nice...Thank you Mr. Gleeson".

She walked to the drawing room in amazement, what kind of present could that be? How thoughtful of Lucius and Narcissus... Mara opened the door and saw a figure standing with her back to her near the window. Mara recognised her by the enormous bunch of curls and her tall and still slender frame.

"Hermione!" you cried out. She turned around and both women ran to each other and embraced tightly.

"I am so glad you are here," she said with tears in your eyes and a wavering voice.

"Me too", she said. She let you Mara but instead grabbed your hands and there seemed to be a look of regret on her face shortly afterwards.

"I'm sorry I didn't visit you sooner... I'm so sorry..." Hermione reproachfully said. You shook your head.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, my dear friend. Your letters have done me a lot of good but... How is your mother now?" Mara asked sincerely.

"Much better..." Hermione said relieved and smiling.

"I wanted to visit sooner but then I started to feel a bit unwell too," she said with a shy smile...

Mara suddenly felt worried but understood the message when Hermione put both hands on her belly, still you asked her for clarification. She nodded and started to laugh as you firmly hugged her again.

"I'm so happy for you," Mara exclaimed.

"Thank you. It is all very new; I am just a few weeks pregnant. I wanted to keep it a surprise for you until I got here". The friend sat together on the sofa, ready to catch up on everything and anything.

"And how are things going here?" she asked, concern growing on her face.

"Fine, I guess", Mara lied and Hermione tilted her head to the left and gave her an understanding look.

"Mara..." was the only thing Hermione replied with but it was enough. She sighed deeply and began to tell Hermione, everything she had not written to her in the letters, in detail. After you had finished, Hermione stared at you unbelievingly and then she became angry, incredibly angry.

"What an incredible jerk... " and the sentence surprised her very much, because her best friend did not like swearing, a moment later the two women were giggling like two little girls

The next few days were filled with trips to Astella, to the shops, to the theatres and walks by the sea. Mara was so happy to see her friend again that she didn't pay much attention to Draco and his nephew. To the relief of both, the former behaved kindly and respectfully towards Hermione. The same could be said of Andrew who, to Mara's surprise, in the moments she encountered him, was a pleasant guest. He told a lot of funny stories, was interesting to talk to and indicated that he liked to read and got on well with his cousins. Even Draco's demeanour had changed the last week and he seemed to a lot more chipper.

One day Mara and Hermione were sitting in the garden. It was already chilly for November, so she decided to go for a nice walk outside instead. They sat down on a bench and were in deep conversation, mainly about how her family and sisters were doing, until her eyes fell on Draco, Dante, Theo, and Andrew walking amicably down the aisles, probably on their way to hunt together. Mara didn't realise that her gaze had been set on Draco until Hermione brought she back to earth with a simple question.

"You love him, don't you?" Hermione asked.

"What? No, what do you mean?" but her face and her breathing betrayed her Hermione gave you an "oh please, who are you trying to fool here" glance and then shook her head.

"Mara, my friend...I've known you for most of my life. Now you can convince anyone else that you do not feel anything for him, but you cannot fool me. I see the way you look at him. He may not realise it but that doesn't mean that others don't see it", she concluded.

"Is it so obvious?", Mara asked, worried that others might find out her secret as well.

"For me it is, dear Mara". A short silence took place between the two best friends that seems to last forever until Mara broke it, deciding to come clean.

"I never thought that I would _... I..._ would be one of those women who would love a man who treats her like dirt but... I cannot help it. I know I must hate him and somewhere I do. Really, I am not that stupid but the... my feelings... outweigh the hate. But it does not matter anyway, M'ione. He hates me, he will never feel anything for me other than disgust... And even though his disposition towards me has improved I cannot imagine that he would ever......"

She hadn't finished her sentence. Mara had hung her head and Hermione felt so sorry for her. She didn't know what to say, lying to her was not an option but at the same time she didn't want to hurt her friend anymore.

"It is a difficult situation for all concerned. He behaved terribly but you told me he apologised. That's a good starting point so who knows what -".

"M'ione", she interrupted.

"I know you mean well, and I really appreciate it but believe, nothing will change. When these two years are over, I will be a spinster again, only this time even worse, a divorcee spinster and he can, no will choose of out a myriad of young and beautiful princesses to marry. Believe me... I am not naive. I have no expectations of him. At this point I am happy with the current status quo for at least he does not act as hostile anymore. We have a relationship built on civility now and I'll hope it and I hope it will be like this the remainder of my time here".

Hermione gave Mara an understanding look, reached for her hand and squeezed it briefly. Mara squeezed back and said it was a good idea to get a nice cup of coco and you walked back together.

After a week and a half, it was time for Hermione to leave and Mara had thoroughly enjoyed her company. Sara was sweet and friendly, but it wasn't the same with her as with Hermione. They sadly said goodbye to each other, and Mara urged Hermione to take good care of herself and say hello to everyone for her. Mara waited outside even when the carriage had departed a while ago before going back in, with a sense of melancholy racing through her heart.

*******************

Hermione's departure had fuelled a feeling of homesickness that was unheard of. Mara had written to 'home' to ask when her parents and sisters would be coming but she had not received a clear answer. An excuse was given that her father was terribly busy now with the negotiations for independence and that they did not think it was a good idea to come now when relations were so fragile.

Mara did not know what to believe. It was Sunday, which meant that Theo and Dante would come over for breakfast and plan to spend the day together. She, including Andrew and Draco (who "coincidentally" had not missed breakfast in her company since Andrew started staying at Sandlewood) were all sitting at the table when the lackey came in with a letter for Mara.

"I have an urgent letter from Mr. Harold Potter for her Highness", and he presented the letter to you. Harry? Why would Harry write her? Oh God, she hoped nothing bad had happened to him?

"If you'll excuse me," Mara said to the ensemble, before walking out of the room.

Draco frowned... Harold Potter? Who the hell was that? And why did he write to her, not that he cared that someone would write to Mara for he did not... It, it, it was just peculiar that it had been an urgent letter as well, but he didn't want to inquire about it and watched her leave, most likely heading for the library to read her letter. And he had been right for that was exactly where you had gone to, you sat down and eagerly tore the envelope open.

" _Dearest Mara,_

_I do not know why HOW it escaped her attention, but I am, um... getting married soon. With Ginevra, remember? You were at my engagement party last year and I told you we would get married around this time._

_It is not like you to forget and what is even more strange... I asked Aunt Julia if you would attend but they said that you probably could not and that it would be better for Leidal's interest if you did not attend or something like that?_

_Well in any case that just won't do..._

_I know that you are staying in Astella now and that the relations are not optimal between our countries yet but ehm me and Ginny would like you to be present, me even more so because I am sure I will be a walking nervous wreck and you are the only one that can calm me down that day._

_Please come. Friday the 12th of December, Carenna Castle._

_Love,_

_Your cousin, Harry._

She crumpled the envelope in her hands and an anger arose deep inside. Those parents of hers... How dare they deny her the opportunity to visit her favourite cousin's wedding. Mara hadn't forgotten, but when she left for Astella there was no definite date yet.

She was set on going, whether her parents wanted her or not and send a message to Narcissa and Lucius right away. Someone knocked on the door, you were expecting a footman or Mr. Gleeson, but it was someone else.

**_Andrew._ **

"Are you all right? I hope you have not received bad news. " he said with a little smile.

"Oh, no... Good news. My cousin Harry is getting married soon and invited me", you answered.

"Ah, I see. So, you plan to go?" and you nodded in response. Andrew asked when Harry was getting married and you replied that the ceremony would take place in a fortnight.

"Oh, how nice.. A bit bold of me to ask you but would you mind if I went with you? I haven't been to Leidal yet and my semester doesn't start until January," he asked out of the blue. What? No... I would rather not, but out of politeness you said you didn't mind.

"Uhm... Of course not." you answered, and you turned her gaze away so he couldn't notice that you preferred to go alone. A sly grin came over Andrew's face and he was glad you hadn't spotted it.

"Andrew, where are you?" Dante shouted but then saw the door of the library open and assumed he might be there.

"There you are," Dante said to him when he had reached his nefarious cousin. For a moment Dante frowned for the presence and for a moment he frowned for Andrew's presence in the presence of his sister-in-law but decided not to think anything of it.

"Come on, we have to go", he said to Andrew, they were all planning a day out, to a nearby town. "Have fun" Mara said to both and they left on their merry way.

Two nights later Mara was sitting in the library by herself, but it was already quite late, and it was probably time to stop for today.

A knock on the door.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," he said kindly and with a book in his right hand.

Andrew.

"No, I was intent on leaving anyway," she replied politely, and she stood up, intending to go but then Andrew pleaded with you.

"Please stay.... You do not know how much I missed talking to someone about books. Dante and Draco are not a fan, as you probably suspect, and they have gone _to bed_. I feel a tad bored if I am honest and not inclined to retire to my room just yet. I won't bother you, promise", he concluded. Something about the way he had said "gone to bed" was packaged as an insinuation as if he knew that Draco did not spend the night with his wife but that had flown right past her.

Instead, Mara nodded politely and sat back down, and Andrew proceeded to walk over to her and took place on the armchair next to hers. An awkward silence fell between the two of you, but Andrew opened his book and pretended nothing was wrong.

" What are you reading?" asked Andrew and he seemed genuinely interested and looked at the cover of her book and before you could reply he had already answered.

"Ah I recognize that cover! Simon Yeats! Excellent choice, Mara. I am a big fan of his. He is a good storyteller, writes brilliant mysteries. Have you read 'The Merchant' by any chance?" he wanted to know.

"No, not yet" Mara said, and he quickly began an extensive argument as to why it is necessary to read the title in question.

"Did you know that my aunt Narcissa named Dante after 'Dante's Inferno? A strange choice perhaps but she loves that book dearly apparently" he said laughing. Somehow the atmosphere changed from tense to pleasant and you and Andrew talked at length about the works of a variety of authors and literary works and you did so over the next two evenings.

Obviously, she had really misjudged Andrew, Mara thought, at least until the 'incident'. Two or three nights later, something happened which made you realise that you were wrong. It happened out of nowhere. They were chatting about this new promising young author they both had heard of and then...

"It is really lovely to have someone you have a lot in common with and discuss these things" and without warning he put his hand on hers and did not remove it for a while. Mara stared at it, at the way his hand rested on hers and then tilted her head upwards to look at Andrew. A sly smile had crept on Andrew's face and it unnerved her deeply.

It took her a minute or two to come to her senses again, quickly murmuring something of an excuse that she was tired and left with a pounding heart. Mara did not know what to think about it, maybe she was completely wrong but... something didn't feel right, and it was smart to avoid the library and Andrew from now on as far as possible which would remain to be difficult.

The next day at breakfast Draco announced he had to go to Arvendon Castle for two days, Lucius had the flu, and Draco was obliged to take over his royal duties (attend a few military ceremonies ).. Dante was indisposed and by indisposed he was referring to the start of elaborate wedding planning, so it was up to Draco to take over.

"You can come with if you want, Andrew," sighed Draco, who didn't feel like going at all.

"Oh no... Please, dear cousin, that seems so dreadfully boring. No, I'd rather stay here" he answered cheerfully.

"And besides, I have Mara here to keep me company," he cheerfully exclaimed. Draco glanced curiously at you, wondering how she and Andrew had gotten so close suddenly.

"Fine then, I'll be back shortly," sighed Draco and he left immediately after breakfast. Mara apologised and left the table.

Hmm, Andrew thought as the darkness fell that day. She had been successful in avoiding him and pretended to have plans with her lady in waiting but he knew he would get alone at some point. And then...

His cousin was an idiot really... He already figured out that the two of them weren't sleeping together as he had caught Draco walking the wrong way several times and then went back in the direction of Mara's room upon noticing Andrew. No, he hadn't touched her yet... but his _fingers itched_ to do so.

She had dodged him again the next day, but he had caught her, saw her staring at something in the distance, probably her homeland, on the balcony of the drawing on the first floor. He had already drunk quite a bit and that had only strengthened his bravado.

"Oh hello, nice to see you too", he sneered up and he walked in her direction.

"Andrew" she said, startled to encounter him.

"It is nice to see you too. I. I am sorry for my absence... Me and Sara had our activities planned a while ago and-."

"You're avoiding me. Why?" he accused, and he came even closer. Oh God, she thought... How am I supposed to get out of here?

"Why would I do that?", she replied but not very convincingly. He grinned and moved closer, eventually stopping in front of you at a short distance.

 _Walk away._ **_Walk away_** , her brain was shouting but somehow her body didn't seem to cooperate. He was close, too close, and he seemed to take you in with his eyes sliding from top to bottom over her body.

"I thought we were friends, Mara. I'm disappointed in you" and he actually pouted.

"Of course, we're friends, Andrew... But it has been a long day and I would like to go to bed now" and she took a step away from him, but he stepped back in front of you.

"Tssk. Tssk. You are not very hospitable, Mara. What kind of hostess are you if you leave her guest alone all the time?" he accused.

Oh no. It was only now that Mara had noticed the massive stench of alcohol on him and one glance at him told you he was already intoxicated quite a bit.

"I'm sincerely sorry if that's how you feel...I will try to make amends in the morning. Goodnight" and she stepped away again but that was Andrew's cue to take charge of the situation.

"Why don't you make amends now?" he asked and a second later his mouth was on hers, kissing her wildly, immediately putting his tongue into her mouth, eliciting a gasp nay scream of Mara.

She somehow managed to push him away temporarily and he had no choice but to step back. Being highly intoxicated it resulted in him not being able to keep his balance and Andrew fell to the floor. This was her chance to run away but you hadn't reached the door of the drawing room before he had gotten up and briskly pulled Mara's arm, turning her back to him.

"Andrew, please STOP", she could somehow exclaim but it didn't help because his mouth was back on hers the next moment. This time he seemed to hold on tighter so she could not run away, and eventually he managed to drag her to the desk, intending to bend her over and take her there. She tried to push him away, but it was impossible.

By now his mouth had moved to her neck, biting it furiously and growling in her ears. One of his hands had travelled down and you screamed when he suddenly touched her most intimate spot.

"He didn't fuck you, did he, that idiot of a cousin of mine. No, you're still a virgin. Well, not for much longer" and he suddenly looked he straight in the face, grinning ominously.

At that moment for a reason beyond her she had thought of her brother Tristan's advice in the case she was ever attacked. He had taken up an interest in martial arts and tried to teach his sisters but only Mara was interested. One day he had explained how and where to kick a man if he was ever bothering you and somehow it had 'stuck". But Andrew had now started to grab her breasts and suddenly squeezed them, hard. Mara screamed.

In her struggle with him she, and later she would wonder how she had been able, managed to wiggle one of her legs free and with all her strength she kicked him kicked him PRECISELY there. The first time he bent backwards halfway, and she took advantage of the opportunity to give him a second kick.

This time he collapsed on the ground and you immediately took advantage of the opportunity to run away, as hard as you could across the corridor, until Mara collided head-on with someone around the corner. She didn't know who it was, all you wanted was to separate herself from this person who also was restraining her, not willing to let her go.

"Mara? Mara. It's me.. Draco. What is going on?" asked Draco, worried.

Mara looked up and saw that it was Draco who was holding her but couldn't not say anything. The words just didn't seem to form in her throat, but her body language was telling, especially when she had glanced back in utter horror. A furious Andrew could be found in the passage and was approaching them, fast.

"Let me go, Draco. Please", she begged. A moment of astonishment took place on his face before he realised something, understood something... He let go of Mara immediately and she ran as fast as she could to her room.

"Oh hi, cousin. Are you back already? I thought you were coming back tomorrow. Ah Dante... Are you here too?" said Andrew to Dante who was nearing them.

" How nice. Well, if you don't mind, I wish to retire for the night. Talk to you in the morning." but before he really could get away, he heard Draco calling him.

"Can I have a word with you Andrew?", he asked, and Andrew turned around.

The two nephews stared at each other for a short moment before Draco went forward and hit Andrew hard on his face with his fist. Andrew collapsed like a house of cards but still got up and made a half-hearted attempt to strike back, which he failed to do because Draco hit him again.

"Draco. What the hell. Stop it now," Dante said, and he ran to his brother to try to restrain him which proved difficult because Draco was hellbent at charging again.

"Sarge, help!" Dante called. Sarge ran over and immediately helped restraining Draco.

"Let me go. Let ME GO. ASK HIM WHAT HE HAS DONE, Dante. Ask him why a petrified Mara ran into my arms just now. GO AHEAD, Dante. Ask him", Draco shouted furiously.

One look at his brother's face was enough for Dante to know that he was telling the truth. He let go of his brother and Sarge quickly did the same.

Dante moved into Andrew's direction, intently glaring at him. Andrew's face was contorted in frustration, he knew that he was in big trouble.

"What did you do, Andrew?" Dante inquired. Yet but no answer came out of him and he deliberately looked the other way and Dante drew his conclusions.

"Mr Gleeson!" he shouted and soon the butler rushed.

"Make sure that my nephew's belongings are packed here and that the carriage to Arvendon Castle is ready. He must leave as soon as possible," said Dante in a pinched voice. The butler muttered something of "right away, Her Highness" and shortly afterwards Andrew left.

Shortly afterwards, Dante and Draco were drinking whiskey in his study when the doctor came in.

"I examined the Princess" he started doubting and glanced at Dante. "I would like to give you an update, Prince Draco but I don't know if her brother has to be here to hear this."

Dante understood that he was not wanted and planned to leave immediately but Draco asked if he wanted to stay. The doctor cleared his throat and then started to speak.

"She has a few bruises on her neck but for the rest she seems unharmed and ..." the doctor cleared his throat nervously again...

"The Princess mentioned that an internal examination was not necessary because her maidenhood was not breached and is still intact. ", he concluded.

"What? I don't under-." but a moment later Dante's realised what the doctor was meaning to say, and he glanced at his brother. The doctor finished talking about Mara's medical assessment and left the two brothers alone shortly after.

Draco glanced over at his brother. Dante was staring angrily in front of him gripping tightly at the corners of his armchair but refusing to speak.

"Dante, I uhm.", Draco started but then unable to finish his sentence.

"You know what, Draco? I hope. I _sincerely hop_ e that Mara tells on us, the agreement is cancelled, and our arses get hauled to war. AT this point it is certainly what YOU and I deserve" he said angrily, got up and slammed the door behind him.

Draco suspected where he was going to go.

"Mara. Mara, it is me, Dante. Are you alright? Please open the door.".

Dante did not have to wait long, a minute she had flung herself to him. Draco stood at the other end of the corridor, halted in his movement, and stared at his heartbroken "wife" crying in the arms of his brother.

**********************

The last couple of days had been surreal Draco lamented in his study.

All hell had broken loose at Arvendon Castle upon hearing what Andrew had done, he had tried to deny it, but Dante had made sure to write a letter to his parents telling them exactly what happened. The next day a concerned Lucius and Narcissa visited, spoke with Mara, and only left when they were certain their daughter-in-law was feeling better. Dante had stayed as well and Mara allowed him to come by, yet she had refused to see Draco time and time again and he didn't know why.

He was therefore startled to see her entering his study, all the sudden. He immediately got up and walked over to her, but she withdrew instantly. He noticed that she was wearing her coat and a practical dress, not one of the gowns she was accustomed to wearing.

"I would prefer if you would sit please," she asked a little while later and Draco obliged. It was then that she walked closer to Draco's desk and stopped a considerable distance.

"I... I wanted to let you know that I am leaving shortly to go to Leidal. My cousin Harry, or Harold Potter is getting married soon. I meant to go later this month but... I uhm think it is best if I leave now. I already spoke to Lucius & Narcissa about this and they gave me their permission to remain in Leidal for as long as I want to. I have not told _my parents_ yet that I am coming so I am guessing they will be surprised to see me" she smiled sadly.

"I am so sorry for what happened, Mara. I should not have let you alone with him. Dante warned me but ... he fooled us, all of us. I really wouldn't have let you alone- ". Draco wanted to continue but couldn't.

"Please. I do not walk to talk about it. Please... "and she shook her head.

Silence fell between husband and wife and for a moment neither of them spoke. Something dawned on Draco though and he wanted to know if his inclination was right.

"You are not planning on returning, are you?", he asked her softly and at that point tears seemed to well up in her eyes, but she didn't confirm anything.

"Give my love to Dante and his fiancée, your parents and Theo & Rey..." she said and turned away from him but before she exited, she turned back to him.

"For what it is worth, Draco, I want to thank you and her family for inviting me here. Astella is beautiful and I enjoyed staying here in your country. I truly hope our nations will be able to find some sort of solution for our issues for I do not wish any harm on Astella or its citizens. As for you, I wish you all the best and I sincerely hope your next marriage will take place out of love, not duty.".

And with that sentiment she had left Draco alone with his thoughts.

It was over. _It was OVER_. Finally, his ordeal was over. They could annul the wedding, and both could go on with their lives. He should feel happy, elated, excited but then why?

**THEN WHY DID HE FEEL LIKE SHIT?**

*********************

**TWO WEEKS LATER**

The aftermath of Mara's departure had led to much discussion in both countries and certainly not improved relations. To put it mildly, Mara's parents were not happy with her arrival and they had already had a few fierce arguments. She had accused them deliberately preventing her from coming to Harry's wedding and things got heated after that.

"Oh, and what now, Miss Mara. What were you thinking? To just come here without a warning and you refuse to tell me what has happened to invoke her early departure. Don't you see? You are playing with fire and it were up to me you'd go back to Astella today", The Queen spat. Mara glared furiously at her mother.

"I'm not going back", she hissed.

"Fine. Maybe not now, but as soon as Harry's wedding is over you are to return immediately", her mother hissed.

"We'll see about that!" Mara shouted.

From that point on she tried to actively avoid any arguments by choosing to spend some time with Hermione, instead. One day she came back from visiting her best friend, the poor thing experienced a complicated pregnancy with heavy bouts of morning sickness and Mara had taken care of her and only left when Hermione had drifted off.

It was already late in the afternoon, and immediately on her return, she planned to lie down in her room until her mother smiled at her

"Good evening, daughter... How nice to see you... There is a surprise for she in her father's study" she said with a mischievous grin.

Something happened but what? Her mother had been in an awfully bad mood since Mara got back and now, she was as happy as could be. Something was off.

Mara just about started running to her fathers' study and opened the door. Mara saw a figure in brown costume staring at the painting above the mantelpiece, with his hat in his hands.

Immediately her heart started beating faster again, he turned towards she and all she could do was stare at him.

"Hello Mara" he greeted.

**_Draco..._ **


	11. Truce?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have finally done it.. I have changed from writing in 'Y/N" from to 'she' form. I know it is confusing and that I am a shitty writer but you must know it sucks immensely to continously write out of a "you" standpoint if your native language isn't British (seriously people you should see the grammar mistakes my Word-editor comes up with". Anywho.. It means that I have some editing to do (first 10 chapters only FML) and some tags to edit but PLEASE CONTINUE to read as "you" if you want.  
> This is YOUR story if you want it to be.
> 
> Next chapter will be a little romantic. I wanted to write about Harry's wedding in this one but it would take too long so I'm gonna write all about it in the next. AS always sorry for shitty grammar writing stuff erros.
> 
> I just wanted to say, from the bottom of my dumb heart, thank you for your wonderful comments. They mean the WORLD to me.

"The absolute gall" she shouted. Lucius looked up from the document he wanted to sign and saw that his ardent wife had stormed in with a look that could kill anyone in a 5-kilometre radius.

"Mr. Tennison; we'll continue later" Lucius said to his administrative clerk upon which the man had bowed and exited as soon as possible.

"Narcissa, dear what is going on?" she softly asked his wife, in an unfruitful attempt to calm her because she looked furious. She walked over to his desk and threw the envelope right in front of him, Lucius grabbed it and started to read, and he understood why his wife was so angry because as he read on he was starting to get upset himself..

_Dearest Cissy,_

_I spoke to Andrew about the incident in detail and he said that there had been a misunderstanding._

_He says that Mara has been flirting since he came to Astella and was giving him mixed signals. He explained that the two of them were often discussing books in the library after Draco had gone to bed to which she had no objection to._

_I wonder why a married woman would think it would a good idea to seek the companion of someone other than her husband that often, but I do not wish to judge._

_It is obvious to me Andrew was misled into thinking there was more between him and Mara and Andrew acted upon this feeling. Yes, maybe it was wrong of him to do and he feels horrible now, because he is fond of Draco, but he is still quite young and should be able to learn from his mistakes._

_Furthermore, he states he was very drunk that night and it must have clouded his judgment. Let us just call this an unfortunate incident, dearest sister because there was no harm and no foul done._

_If you think about it.. In a way, he was trying to help. You do know that one of the requirements for this deal to work is that Draco fulfils his marital obligations? It is clear to even to an outsider like me that his relationship with Mara is very, very strained. I therefore think it would be wise if.._

************************

Lucius stared angrily at the letter and laid it down and then glanced up at his wife. Narcissa seemed to be a bit calmer now although it was clear to him that she was still in a bad mood.

"Andrew is no longer allowed to visit and the same goes for that _snake_ of a sister of mine, although I doubt she has the guts to show her face again soon. She waits two weeks to write a response to my letter and.. and comes up with this RUBBISH", Narcissa spewed.

"Sit down darling" he said and Narcissussa took place across of him with a sigh and shook her head and brought her fingers to her face to rub over her temple.

"What a mess, Lucius... How are we going to get out ourselves of this? It is our fault you know, we should have interfered more with their relationship, try to help them and now she is gone.. You can hide things from me, dear, but that does not mean I don't have sources inside and outside the castle. Our citizens know that our daughter-in-law has left suddenly and there are rumours of a separation. They are already speculating about the possibility of going to war with Leidal again. I can't.. I don't want our people to suffer, Lucius and I don't want to think about sending our sons to- " Narcisssa didn't finish her sentence and suddenly started crying.

Lucius got up but before he could reach her, she had thrown herself at him, embracing him firmly. "It's going to be all right, darling.. "he whispered in her ears.

Narcissa released herself from his embrace for a moment.

"How? Do you really think Draco will manage to come back with her? Why would she, Lucius. If I were her I would never step foot again" and she shook her head pessimistically.

"Let us just hope he succeeds and then we'll see what happens. I'll talk to them both if they return but let us not think that far ahead".

"I hope he succeeds, Lucius" answered Narcissus but there was despair in her voice, and she grabbed her husband to hug him again.

Lucius sighed. "I hope so too sweetheart. I hope so too" but the pronunciation of the sentence had been full of doubt and a weary feeling inside him brew and told him all hell was going to break loose soon.

**ASTELLA: SAME DAY, REVENIER CASTLE, DRAWING ROOM**

She kept staring at him, trying to make sense of things but couldn't. Her mind was going wild with possible reasons why he was her and her foolish heart betrayed her for it was beating like mad.

The words "Why are you-?" came over her lips with difficulty, not that it mattered, a conversation was not going to occur just yet because her father suddenly walked in at that moment.

"Draco, son.. How good of you to come." And when he passed Mara he had looked at his Her father asked about Draco's parents and about Dante and they talked briefly about everyone, the essence of the story was that everyone was fine except Mara of course.

"Ah excellent. Well... I will leave you two alone, I think you have another one to discuss... We would love to see you both at lunch" and her father had been strict with her on the word "both of you" before he left the room.

They awkwardly looked at each other and an invisible competition was taking place about who should be the first to speak now. Draco lost because he realised that she had no intention of speaking and he broke the silence.

"How are you?" he asked and in another way she thought it was an absurd question, the thought that Draco wanted to know how she was doing, after all the months he had ignored her...It was ridiculous. It made her blood boil and suddenly she felt incredibly angry.

She said "fine" briefly and again an uncomfortable silence came between them. He took a step or two to the front, placed his hat on a table.

"Mara... I" but she didn't let him speak.

"Welcome to our beautiful country, Mr. Malfoy. I hope your stay is pleasant" she said with a restrained anger.

He had looked at her a little annoyed at hearing his last name instead of his first name, but he had said nothing. Then she turned around and walked out of the room.

Her mother was furious. _Furious at her._

"Mara, have you gone mad? Whatever happened between you, he came here to make an effort, but you don't even want to speak to him! "and she had shouted the last part of her words.

"What are you trying to do? You are risking everything. Everything! Do you want war? Is that what you want? We had an agreement Mara, and you are sabotaging it! You foolish, inconsiderate girl!" her mother accused.

And that had been her breaking point, she was no longer able to hold on to what had aggravated her for so long and the volcano erupted.

"I'm sabotaging the agreement. _I am?_ I have a good idea. Shall we talk about that dear son-in-law of yours you and father are so infatuated with? That son-in-law of yours that, in the six months that I had the utter misery of staying there, constantly ignored me, that I didn't even _see_ for most of the time. And when I did encounter him he hardly spoke to me ever unless he needed me to pretend to play the happy wife when his aunts visited. Will that information be sufficient for you or do you want to know about how he slept with not one but two women and preferred that his concubines live in the same castle as I was living in; so, I was daily reminded about the fact that my husband was cheating on me. Do you wish to hear perhaps about the fact the wonderful Prince Draco wanted these same women to be my ladies in waiting, which I refused, and he got mad at me for it?

 _What else?_ Oh yes, that time when he left me alone for 5 weeks to stay at Arvendon while his parents were away on a state trip.. Don't you see mother? I have not been the one sabotaging the deal, he has been! And I honestly cannot keep pretending anymore. I am trying to do right by my country, but I have been miserable since I have left Leidal. "

She got up and walked closer to her mother and stopped in front of her.

"Don't you understand? He _hates_ me, mother. He _**hates**_ me." and her voice nearly broke at the end but she barely composed herself anyway. A second later she regretted confessing for her mother was staring at her unbelievingly, but the damage was done.

"I am sorry, Mother. I cannot do this" and then Mara had hugged her, opened the door but then saw Draco standing in front of her. It was clear that he had heard everything because he looked at her compassionately and there seemed to be an expression of guilt visible on his face.

"Excuse me" she said and then walked away quickly. She ran to the sea and sat down on the beach at her favourite spot. It was a bleak autumn day, and she was very cold because she had gone outside without a coat but that moment it didn't bother her. Instead, she focused on the waves and stared, absentmindedly ahead.

Even though the weather was miserable today, it was clear enough to see the circumference of Astella in the distance and a feeling of melancholy had engulfed her, coming out of nowhere.

Apparently, her stay in Astella had been influential and of consequence to her, she could not believe it but.. at that moment she felt a small degree of homesickness.

"May I sit with you?" she heard, and it came out nowhere. Mara turned around and saw Draco standing there and immediately she felt her stupid heart flutter yet again, but she turned away from him, so she didn't see him when she replied.

"As much as Astella likes to think otherwise Leidal is a free country, Mr. Malfoy. Do as you wish", she said with a slight touch of sarcasm.

He walked over and sat next to her, and his distance was not too close but not too far either, not that Mara cared (at least that is what she told herself). Silence fell between the two of them again, a deliberate silence because none of them had much sense to start a conversation like that.

Damn, it was cold. Damn her for running outside like a maniac instead of grabbing her coat because the wind seemed to cut right through her and at one-point Mara started to shiver. and Draco noticed this and shortly afterwards he took off his coat and draped it over her to her surprise and she allowed it, for reasons she did not understand, and, at the end, his left hand rested briefly on her back. It was over in a second, him touching her but she was affected by it anyway as she took a deep breath. She didn't look at him but muttered a "thank you" and she thought he nodded but wasn't sure.

"Why did you come here?" Mara wanted to know. She had looked him straight in the eyes when asking, which surprised him a little, because he did not reply immediately but preferred to do so a few moments later.

"I thought I could maybe accompany you to your nephew's wedding" he said, a tad insecure.

"And _**why**_ would _**you**_ want to do that?" she sneered accusingly but a second later she thought it was stupid why she wanted to know at all... It was of no concern to her and she really should not care why he was here.

So, when he wanted to explain she again did not give him the right to finish his sentence, got up, took off the coat and pushed it into Draco's hands. However, at that moment he had grabbed her right hand, very briefly but then let go because he remembered what had happened to her fairy recently.

It had startled her, the move to hold her hand but in the way Draco thought of, no but she quickly tried to ignore that.

"For God's sake. Can we, can we just have a proper conversation and will you please... PLEASE STOP running away. I am too tired to chase you all around the Kingdom, Mara." and he knew there was irritation in his voice even though he tried to hide it.

_Bloody hell._

He was trying, here wasn't he? Trying to make the effort all the while being tired as hell from the journey. All Draco wanted was to retreat to a room so he could sleep and bathe, but he had not expected the extraordinarily bad start to the attempt of mending things between them. Well, he knew things were going to be bad but somehow stupidly hoped it would not be THIS bad.

Fortunately, his plea had worked because Mara begrudgingly sat down again. He wanted to drape the garment over her once more but before he could she had taken it and put it across her shoulders.

She had not noticed it earlier, but his coat gave off his scent, reminding her of teakwood, apples, and pine. It smelled lovely, correction, _he_ smelled lovely. She could smell the delightful mixture of enticing scents _also_ on him because this time she had inadvertently sat a lot closer than earlier and it was causing her to breathe faster again. Thankfully, Draco had not noticed this though.

"This was your parents' idea wasn't it?" Mara inquired sternly but Draco shook his head.

"NO.. It was mine but they approved of the idea and encouraged me to visit. They send their love by the way, everyone does. Dante, Sophia, Sara, Rey, and Theo.. The last one mentioned asked me to tell you that you should return soon because Dante is acting and I quote, _obnoxiously arrogant;_ after a winning streak in playing backgammon and I quote 'needs to be taken down a notch or two'.

She could not help but smile at the thought but then an uncomfortable silence broke between them until Draco broke it.

"I... I went to Leidal when I was little, so I don't remember much. So, I think I would enjoy a new introduction to Leidal and perhaps explore your country together".

She did not say anything but looked straight ahead as if she deliberately didn't want to react... Draco cleared his throat for attempt number 2, but he should have kept his mouth shut.

"Pansy said that your hot springs for one are great and-" and Draco could not finish his sentence because Mara gave him a scathing look.

"Aah Pansy... Of course. How are she and Katherine doing? Have they already held a party in honour of my departure?" she said with venom laced through in her voice...

Draco turned bright red but didn't answer, Mara shook her head, got up and pushed the garment back into Draco's hands and quickly stepped back to the castle.

He did not follow her.

*****************************************

When she returned to the castle she was stopped by her mother and asked to come with her to the library. Mara hated the idea of having to argue and just wanted to retreat to her quarters yet at the same time she was curious to know what her mother would say. Would she be compassionate? Angry with Draco? Angry with her? She did not know. When she arrived at the library her mother asked her to sit down but she stayed. Mara looked at her and tried to decipher the look on her face, but it didn't really work out...

"I listened to you; I didn't say anything during your ... tirade... I would appreciate it if you wouldn't want to interrupt me either", her mother said, sporting a stern yet composed (at least for now) expression on her features.

"I... No, _we_ understand that the last few months must not have been easy for you. With hindsight things have gone too fast and perhaps we, your father and brother, should have been a bit more cautious".

Her mother bit her lip uncomfortably.

"Having said that, dear Mara... Draco is still your husband and-".

Mara wanted to interrupt her mother but got a reprimand.

"Child, I told you not to interrupt me" and Mara said nothing more. The queen sighed and started rubbing her hands, apparently still feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"It's not, not easy to be a princess, I know that. We have duties that we must honour and often marry... we are more for convenience than love. That was certainly the case between me and your father but after all these years a certain understanding has been realised that I appreciate... ".

She waited a while before moving on.

"It is not easy being a princess, but it is worse to be a prince or a king for that matter. They have so much more duties than us and can be easily strained by the weight of their responsibilities".

Mara's mother took a deep breath before continuing.

"Therefore... we have to turn a blind eye when it comes to... certain extra-marital activities, so to speak.". Mara's mouth fell open, but she dared not say anything.

"I know this is exceedingly difficult, but it is something we are expected to do. As far as your treatment in Astella is concerned, do not worry, your father and I will speak to Draco about it. And you should have told us something then we would have taken measures however, dear darling... I am sorry... I cannot ignore the obvious, the reality, the harsh truth. The relationship between our countries has not improved yet and you coming here abruptly has not helped matters. Of course, you can stay here for a little while longer but after Harry's wedding _you have to go back to Astella"._

Mara shook her head and at that moment her mother began to lose her patience.

"Don't you know what's at stake, Mara? Our country, our people, and our independence! You've lasted six months in Astella, what is preventing you from staying the remaining one and a half year? How can you be so selfish? I would have never expected you to act like this and as your mother, I am severely disappointed by your behaviour!".

Mara got up and almost sprinted to the door, but she was pulled back by her mother so quickly she didn't know what happened. Her mother and she were now standing face to face and Mara expected another speech but could see the Queen was faltering. Her mother let go of her hand and Mara planned to walk towards the door, relieved this conversation was finally over, until a question stopped her in her tracks.

"You're still a maiden, aren't you?" the Queen had asked, and Mara stood still, as if someone had taken away her ability to move and to speak so The Queen knew enough.

Mara heard her mother walking towards her and then she turned Mara back so that they were looking at each other again. For a moment Mara could see a look of compassion on her mother's face until it hardened.

"Whatever you do, whether it be here or in Astella, make sure he takes your virginity. He _must_. You still have six months left and I suggest you try your hardest to seduce him, with whatever means necessary", her mother stated sternly.

Mara swallowed the lump in her throat, glanced at her and tried not to reveal her contempt, broke away from her mother's grip and left.

The rest of the evening proceeded without incidents, well, it helped that Mara stayed in her room and refused to come to dinner, yes she knew it was childish, but she really, really didn't want to. It hadn't mattered anyway she had understood from the butler that Draco excused himself, stating that he was exhausted from the journey and wished to retire to his room.

Thank God, her parens had arranged other sleeping arrangements for their son-in-law and he and Mara were not thrown together in the same bedroom just _yet.._

Mara herself tried to sleep herself as well after eaten her meal solemnly alone but she was having difficulty sleep and her mind drifted off what occurred today.

She had not expected to see him again in a million years. Her shock could not have been greater if she had been struck by lightning. It was clear what his motivation was... Even though he claimed that he had come of his own accord, it was clear who had influenced him. And what now? Harry's wedding was in _5 days._ Her mother had given her the ultimatum to go back, whether she wanted to or not... Somewhere she wanted to go back because, even to her surprise, Mara was already tired of her stay in Leidal.

The unspoken accusations that she had done something wrong, the disapproving looks, she had seen it all but said nothing. Things got even worse because her annoying sisters were interested to know about Mara's non-existent sex life and wanted to know if Draco was "good as a lover", how her first time had been and even worse if Draco had a big.....

Mara had indicated that she didn't want to talk about it the more her sisters insisted until at some point she lied that Draco had been sweet and careful the first time. However, she kept silent about the third question because as much as she wanted to confirm it, she had no idea if Draco had a big.. well, you know.

She sighed deeply, there were so much other pressing issues to think about like whether she should return or not. The possibility was as well painful as comforting, because while she had missed Astella, the royal family, she had not forgotten the fact that she had been miserable there. Fortunately, eventually she fell asleep and that night she dreamt about her and Draco returning to Astella and that they were.. happy.. In fact, she dreamt about Draco carrying her over the threshold with a smile to their bedroom (she was smiling too) and that he then laid her down on the bed, removed his jacket, proceeded to climb on top of her and..

_She woke at that exact moment._

Slightly startled by the dream but quickly trying to forget about its Mara was currently experiencing a knot in her stomach the size of a balloon, because she knew in a few minutes she was expected at breakfast and that Draco would be here. Yet she forced herself to get out of bed, bathe and get dressed. She would not hide now, not from her parents, sisters, or brothers and certainly not from Draco.

The door of the dining hall was opened for her and she saw eight pairs of eyes staring intently at her, those of her parents, brother, and her ... husband. She tried to compose herself and wanted to sit down as soon as possible until she saw that she had to sit next to Draco and there were no other vacant spots. She sat down and said a curt "Good morning" as a greeting and then decided to start her breakfast listlessly.

Sigh.

Mara had her belly full of uncomfortable silences, she had already experienced enough of them to last her a lifetime with.

"I think it would be a good idea, dear daughter, if you would show your husband around Leidal today. Think for example of a visit to the Museum of Antiquities, so that Draco can learn more about our history. However, if you have better ideas than-".

"I'm sorry dear mother but me and Hermione had plans today", she lied. Blatantly lied because Hermione was feeling under the weather due to elaborate cases of morning sickness, due to her pregnancy.

Her mother gave her a deceptive smile because Mara sensed that she was truly angry with her.

"I think Hermione would understand if you were to reschedule," she said with a pinched voice. "If you want, I can write her a note..."

"That won't be necessary" Mara said quickly, knowing that her bluff had been called. "I'll send her a note myself to tell her that our plans are not going through".

"Very well", The Queen said, and she glanced a look of satisfaction towards her husband. Her brother said nothing, but Mara knew her brother well. He knew it. It could be seen in his attitude but also in his compassionate gazes at his sister.

What kind of brother was he? He had thrown his own sister to the lions and left her to her fate in a hostile country that had a bad disposition towards his family. Draco had, from the start every intention to sabotage the agreement by treating his sister like shit. Inwardly he boiled with anger, but he could not ignore the fact that _he_ , as her brother, had abandoned her as well. He hadn't written to her to ask how she was doing, once, not in six long months. Tristan had assumed that the matter had now been resolved and he could get ready for his training as king... He had been wrong, and he was so angry at the lack of respect his sister had gotten let alone their country and he was sure to confront Draco about it at one point, but he was biding his time for now.

Draco was not an idiot. If tins could kill he would have been dead by now. Tristan was angry, truly angry and it seemed to Draco a good idea to prepare for a confrontation with his brother-in-law because at one point it was going to happen.

"Fine, then you and Draco will leave after breakfast", the queen decided, and she was delighted, because her little plan had succeeded or not.

Draco and Mara got into the carriage and were driven to the Museum of Antiquities, none of them spoke. Mara didn't feel like it and Draco seemed better to remain silent for the time being after his previous stupid statement. Arriving at the museum, Draco got off, but Mara did not, and the former looked surprised.

"Why aren't you getting out? Aren't you coming with?", he asked a tad shyly, preventing himself last second from asking if she was going to come with HIM. She shook her head.

"I'm sorry Mr Malfoy but I have more urgent tasks than to guide you through Leidal. Mr Scottsdale and Mr Lassister here," and she pointed out the two security guards/soldiers will accompany you today. I hope you have a nice day". With her fingers she touched the ceiling, the sign for the coachman to drive away and he followed her orders. She looked back once and saw a prince standing, confused and in disbelief.

The next day she did the same, she quietly drove somewhere and then went her own way. To her surprise or shock that he had not betrayed her yet and even lied loudly when her mother had asked him, during two dinners, if they had 'had fun'.

This gave Mara the confidence to go one step further. The third day they were obliged to visit Mr Edgecombe, an old friend of her father's. Mr. Reginald Edgecombe was friendly, a gentle soul really but also very, very boring and had a drawling manner of speaking, which made it seem like one sentence took ages to pronounce. He could only talk about fish and she hated her former forced visits to this man. She knew that this time she couldn't get out of it, that she had to visit her father's friend because it would be quite rude, but she had devised a little plan.

To Draco's surprise Mara did get out at their destination and even joined them for tea, engaged in some talk, BUT quickly after had gone off to the rather large garden that had a massive maze in it, which Mr. Edgecombe prided himself for. When she eventually returned she had claimed to have gotten lost, a rouse the old man fell for, but Draco did not.

It was FRICKING WINTER after all and there was no way she could have gotten "lost". She purposely left him alone. Mr. Edgecombe insisted on coming back with them because he wanted to see Mara's father so Draco could not confront her on the way back but oh.. OH SHE COULD TELL he was ANGRY.

Upon return they were expected at dinner and yet again Draco lied about the events of the day.

"They had had a wonderful time".

Mara felt bad but a part of her found it ridiculously funny, she for certain KNEW that Draco did NOT have a wonderful time.

Mara had excused herself shortly after dinner, stating a headache but snuck into the library when no one was looking and her parents were occupied with Mr. Edgecombe anyway. She was not keen on reading today for she was still a bit giddy and preferred to sit near to the fireplace instead to do some embroidery. Her little stroll in the garden had given her some inspiration and Mara decided she wished to embroider some peculiar flowers she had not seen before. She was sure it came from abroad as in the harsher winter few flowers survived in Leidal but these purple flowers... were in full bloom.

She was lost in thoughts but suddenly the door flew open and an enraged Draco came in and barged in her direction, stilling himself a few steps away from her. She briefly looked up at him but then resumed working.

"Do you think you're funny?" he asked, clearly highly annoyed.

Mara pretended to be thinking before she glanced at him and replied.

"No, not really, but I have my moaments sometimes", she said and then stared back at her hands that started to fumble with the thread and fucking up her "work of art".

He was quiet for a moment and Mara appreciated the silence as it gave her the opportunity to calm her stupid heart that was beating like an idiot again, touched again by its proximity.

"I know what you're doing, Mara... And this is nothing like you", he argued.

Somehow this statement annoyed Mara and she proceeded to glance directly at him.

"And how would you know? How would you know what I am like?", she asked him a tad more accusing than she had wished. He did not answer and even though she lowered her gaze.

"I'm sorry if your day was unpleasant-" she started but Draco quickly came up with an answer.

"Unpleasant? No.. It was far more worse than unpleasant", Draco sneered.

"Do you have any idea how boring that man is...?", Draco wanted to know.

He took a big breath before continuing and then he gave a perfect persiflage of Mr Edgecombe.

"There's a specific _swordfish,_ Your Highness, which I'm sorry I haven't been able to catch yet. A beautiful beast, with striking colours but make no mistake, very deadly. The teeth alone..." and Draco stopped there for a moment. Mara tried her best not to chuckle because she was aware of Mr. Edgecombe's stories, she had a soft spot for him, but he could be tedious.

"Are you aware, Prince Draco that there this a small but deadly kind of fish living in the Amazon region that is so thirsty for meat it can attack humans!", Draco re-enacted.

"I am sorry but.. why would I care about some stupid creature that eats humans? Humans in general are terrible and a nuisance to nature and probably deserve to be eaten anyway", Draco argued.

It was getting harder for Mara to stifle her laugh, but she was still holding it together, barely though. Draco was on a roll however and not intending to stop spewing about his awful day quite yet.

"Seriously, on and ON about fishes (the variety, what they eat, where they can be found) and how to catch this fish this way and the other differently.. At one point I was ENVIOUS of the fish he had caught because they at least were DEAD and didn't have to listen to him!!".

That was the stroke that broke the camel's back. Mara couldn't help it, but she burst out in laughter, eventually gazing up again to see a still pissed off Draco which only made things funnier and she continued chuckling.

"I am glad you find my discomfort amusing, Miss Leidal, especially since you are the cause of it!" but the sentence came out of his mouth a lot loss sternly than he had aimed for.

Even if he had wanted to be harsh with her the sight of a solemn and introverted Maria laughing hysterically was funny to him.

He could not help it, but he started to chuckle himself and then extended into a full-blown laughing fit

"Look I know you hate me but please.. please do not subject me to that man again.. It is too much punishment even if I deserve it", he concluded with a smile.

It was a silly moment but a meaningful one, they both could not remember a time during the last six months where they had been so amicably. They looked at each other now, both smiling before shyness overtook Mara again accompanied by yet another uncomfortable silence.

Mara was staring at her little piece of cloth again that still looked terrible, to gain some confidence as to what she should say next.

She took a deep breath and spoke softly resuming the conversation between them.

"I don't hate you, Draco.. Try as I might.. I don't" and she could feel her face getting redder by the minute. When she had the courage to look towards him she saw him standing there a tad awkwardly and biting his lip.

In a few strides he was near her, to her initial panic which was worsened by the fact that he took place besides her and her eyes had unwillingly followed him.

He sighed.

"I don't hate you either, Mara but I know that I have given you that impression over the last couple of months and I regret that, I sincerely do.. I have treated you badly and not given you the respect that you deserve, and I have been a horribly bad host and representative of my country as well. It is probably too late now but I want you to know that.. if.. if you want of course I fully intend to.. to change things in Astella and maybe.. get to know you a bit better. But that is entirely up to you, I won't force you into anything you don't want to do, and I will make it clear to your family that they should not either. We will find some solution to the issues between our countries if need be but.. I would like to give this agreement another chance but again, only if you want to", he finished.

Mara had stared at him, too taken aback to interrupt him. He seemed sincere but was he truly, she did not know what to answer yet for it was too soon to decided and he understood that, understood that she was still confused and probably somewhere deep down, very hurt.

"I will respect whatever decision you'll make, Mara" he said, and she nodded and somehow beyond her comprehension smiled at Draco, briefly and to surprise he smiled back at her.

"Now.. to bring about another subject. I meant what I said. I would like to accompany to your cousins wedding if you allow me of course".

"I wouldn't mind that" she somehow was able to muster, it was a brief admission, but it changed the atmosphere between them.

"Great! Now then. "and the extended a hand out to her.

"Truce?", he asked with a grin.

Mara glanced at this hand, took it, looked at Draco and replied:

"TRUCE".


	12. The benefit of the Doubt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> • First of all: POLAROIDSONFIRE: This chapter is dedicated to you, thank you for following and loving the story.  
> • I have edited the story and changed it from you-form to she but I am afraid there will be some errors along the way  
> and I’ll try to fix them later. One thing though.. I WILL NEVER, EVER, WRITE IN YOU-FORM AGAIN.. So glad I switched  
> • My motto is now officially.. Why piss off TWO fandoms when YOU CAN PISS OFF three.. Yes I have added Benedict  
> Bridgerton to the story, from the Netflix hit. Keep an eye out for Mr. Bridgerton for he’ll return later.  
> • I have written a new fic about.. Bridgerton, if you want to check that out. This time I am focusing on Benedict’s  
> brother, Anthony and this is another “forced marriage” with another Mara but with a new last name.  
> • I will not abandon THIS fic EVEN THOUGH I have a tendency to start something and then not finish but I will  
> continue!  
> • I have changed the tags, nay removed the “Draco x Y/N” ones for it would not be fair to keep having them since it is  
> not technically x Y/N anymore, and I think it will garner less views now but it was the right thing to do.  
> • The group dance mentioned in this story during the wedding is based on the Turkish “halay”.  
> • The name of the painter’s work Benedict stares at is “Rutger Hauer” and a tribute to this Duth actor  
> • I HAVE BEEN DYING TO WRITE the dialogue between Dante and Theo because it has been stuck in my head for  
> months. So happy to get it off my chest.. hehe  
> • As always sorry for crappy GRAMMAR/mistakes

She was not doing well. She pretended to but she wasn't for she had just woken up from another nightmare.

This time she was running away from Andrew though Ashwood Castle but tripped at one point. HE came towards her, laughing at her, mocking her and with a devilish grin and then started to bend over towards her, reaching for Mara with his arms and at that point she WOKE up thankfully.

She is out of breath and disorientated for a few moments until she recognizes she is "home", in her room.. Trying to recuperate and think clearly again her mind, for a minute there her mind goes totally blank and she thinks she is back at Leidal, that time has reversed itself, nothing has changed.

Her life is back to normal, she is back in her country living her life.. Until Mara remembers that she has a husband that is sleeping somewhere, in the same castle as hers.

Mara is at her favourite spot at the beach again, it was still early in the money, staring at the waves crashing on the shore and the odd fisher's boat in the distance until she hears someone ask her a familiar question.

"Do you mind if I come sit with you?". She turns around to see who the visitor is.

Tristan.

Mara looks at him intently for a second.

"Of course, brother", Mara says but it is not the enthusiastic response she would giving him before, something has changed and they both know it. He comes closer and sits next to her and both withheld from speaking for a while..

"Why didn't you tell me?", Tristan asks, a mixture of compassion and guilt visible in his eyes.

"Tell you what?", she answers as if she doesn't know what he is referring to.

He shakes his head briefly before responding.

"You know what I am talking about. If I had known.. Then I had- ", he starts.

"Done what, brother? There was nothing you could do. We were naïve.. We were naïve to think there would be no animosity between our countries. It may have been a good idea on paper but in practice it failed" Mara concluded.

"I wish you had informed me, sister. I wouldn't have let him treat you like- ", Tristan protests.

"Like dirt?", Mara answered with a sad smile and brother and sister were silent again for a while. HE could tell the last couple of months had been rough on her and knew she probably tried to bare it all without complaining because that is how she was.

Dutiful but even being dutiful has his limits and he wished his sister had told him about how things were for he would have done something.

"Mara.. I know I let you down, you asked for my opinion, you trusted me to help you, but I didn't. I thought that this marriage would be a good solution to our problem, but we should have never ... We should have sought other options instead of demanding you marry someone you did never know. But _believe_ me... If I had known he had acted towards you this way I would have come _personally to_ get you, months ago, regardless of the consequences.", Tristan concluded.

"I am so sorry, Mara. I am sorry for everything. Give me the word and I'll cancel the -".

She can tell he is being earnest an appreciates the apology.

In a way she is also glad to have cleared the air with him and hopeful they bring back their relationship to the level it used to be. They told each other everything, when Mara was misbehaving as a child he would always defend her towards the nanny/his parents. He had taught her so much, from horse riding, to playing tennis and chess and she had always felt safe and secure around him, until she had to go Astella. She had missed this, talking to him, confiding in him over the last couple of months. He had disappointed her then, yes but in hindsight, he must have genuinely thought they were doing the right thing.

And she could not, if she were honest to herself, fault him for or anyone for that matter, for doing the right thing was always the best in any case.

"You don't have to go back.. You can stay, I'll talk to mother"..he wished to argue.

"You don't need to worry about me _if_ I go back, don't know yet if I will but I already made it this far, Tristan. Just, 1, 5 years left", Mara sighs and then retreats to staring mindlessly at the waves again.

"Promise me you will inform me from now on. Write to me, Mara. Please", he pleads.

Mara looks at her brother, smiled and reaches for his hand to squeeze it lightly. He reciprocated the gesture and the smile.

"Promise", she replies and just like that everything is alright again between them.

Draco enters the dining hall expecting to find Mara and her parents there but the only one sitting there at the left side of the table is Tristan, who just like the other days, openly glares at him.

Oh, here we go, Draco thinks as he walks over to the table, sits down across of Tristan.

"Good morning" Draco says but Tristan doesn't reply, just continues eating. All good Draco thinks, he isn't in for a conversation/confrontation with Mara's brother anyway. Things are going relatively well now; he and Mara had made amends yesterday.. well, they had agreed on being civil towards each other and he had been happy with that result. Last night in his bed he had replayed the conversation in his head and before he knew it, he had smiled at the memory of a giggling Mara and then, a few moments later, her confession..

She had let him know that she didn't hate him, it was a sweet thing to do even more so because he deserved her hate after the things he had done to her, but she didn't.. And somehow that changed his perfective towards her, something had changed yesterday. Gone was the animosity, the resentment (temporarily at least) and he was relieved. Genuinely relieved and he started to feel hopeful that they could spend the remaining period in harmony instead. HE intended to better himself if she came back, be nicer to her, even _if he still thought_ that this arrangement should have NEVER come into fruition and was ill thought, but he was willing.. Willing to work on getting to her better and to be kinder to her, that should count for something right?

Tristan was still glaring at the person sitting across. Draco's breakfast was served, and he had begun eating silently, the atmosphere was tense between them and unignorable and apparently Tristan had reached his boiling point. He loudly dropped his fork and then angrily stared at Draco and at this instance, Draco was getting annoyed as well.

"If you have any grievances with me Tristan, I would like to implore you to state them rather quickly. Let's get this over with before we leave for the wedding shortly. I would hate us having some sort of confrontation there, it would be quite inappropriate don't you think?", Draco argued.

He had not taken his eyes of Tristan when he had just spoke and continued eating as if there was nothing going on. The man had just smiled at him sardonically, taking a moment to reply, as if he is trying to weigh his words in his head..

"Alright.. I have heard about certain misconduct regarding my sister propriated by you", he began, and he directly stared at Draco.

Draco was at this moment choosing to listen instead of reacting wondering what he would say but Tristan took a few bites of his eggs before he continued, on purpose. He wanted to let Draco know that he did not care for him and that he had to wait to be spoken to.

"I know.. your kind of princes, Draco. Spoiled brats that think they are better than everyone just because they were born with a silver spoon in their mouth, highly, idle types that are keen on running from their responsibilities and chasing skirts all over the nation.. I have met quite a lot of you during the years.", Tristan said.

Draco didn't speak, _yet._

"And you are the textbook definition of everything I just said", Tristan concluded.

"Well, _thank_ _you very much_ for the unwanted psyche-analysis but I don't know where you are going with- ", Draco snapped, the next second getting even more irritated for he was cut off.

"I will tell you where I am going with this and I would advise you to listen intently please" and Tristan paused briefly, as if he wanted to measure his words and made sure the message would get through.

"If, _IF,_ I ever, ever hear about my sister being badly treated again by _you_ or _anyone_ in Astella, for that matter" and Tristan paused again..

"May God have mercy on you and Astella then, Draco because I will _come for you_ and I will not come _alone_ ", Tristan determinedly said, without hesitation in his voice, meaning to convey he was serious.

Draco swallowed his throat for a second for Tristan had not minced his words but then quickly recuperated.

The statement was a clear threat and a bad, bad move, giving the current status quo between their countries and Draco had to let Tristan know.

"Do you think it is wise of you to threaten me, Tristan at this moment in time where a truce between Leidal and Astella can be so easily broken?", he sneered.

Tristan scoffed at Draco, unaffected by what he just had stated, and a sarcastic expression came across his features.

"I apologize, _dear_ brother-in-law. I must have not been communicating clearly just now. I am not _threatening_ you. I am _PROMISING YOU_ and believe me, Draco, I always. I always keep my promises", Tristan concluded solemnly, and he intently glared across the table again.

Draco was too dumbstruck to react to that and even if he had wanted to say something, he couldn't have for Mara and her parents entered. Sensing the atmosphere, they glanced. worriedly towards Draco and Tristan but the latter mentioned gave them a reassuring smile..

"Well, there you lot are. Finally. It has been nice to chat among us but the more company the better I always say. Don't you agree with me, Draco?" and Tristan gave Draco a faux happy look a stage actress would have been proud of.

Draco just nodded in return and thankfully for all and the remainder of breakfast proceeded without incident.

********************************************

Carenna Castle could be better described as a fortress than a castle for it was built on a sharp hill and surrounded by high walls. From the outside the castle looked daunting and ready to defend itself and the people inhibiting it. The ride over to Carenna Castle had been uneventful, Mara had taken a carriage with her mother and sisters and Draco was in the company of the King and his brother-in-law, the latter one acting like nothing was amiss. The gate opens and they drive a couple of few minutes to the entrance, via small detours, the vehicle goes up and down at a few points but eventually they arrive. Outside, a young man with brown hair and glasses is waiting for them and he walks up to the first carriage and opens the door.

"Hello, I'm so glad to see you." He hugs his aunt, Lara and Amelia and waits patiently for Mara to get off last.

"Mara! Dearest cousin!" he exclaims and then proceeds to her a long hug that seems to go on and on, then kisses er on both cheeks before hugging her again.

It annoys Draco... it bothers him somewhere deep down where he doesn't want to admit that it does. Harry then walks over to the male guests and greets Tristan and the King.

"You must be Draco! Welcome to Carenna Castle, I'm Harry. I'm glad you came along," Harry says genuinely friendly, extending a hand and suddenly the irritation Draco felt towards Harry is gone. Draco shakes his hand and mumbles something like 'nice to meet you'.

Shortly after Draco meets the bride and grooms' parents who also welcome him and seem to be genuinely nice, so he eagerly chats with them, basically he is on his best behaviour, and enjoying himself.

A short time later, the ensemble is expected at lunch. The gentlemen lead the way towards the hall and the ladies followed, talking busily to each other. Draco catches something he perhaps shouldn't have but hears it anyway, something Harry's mother says.

"Well, Mara... Apparently there is something to be something to be said for waiting. Lucky you, your husband is delightful", Harry's mother whispered but nonetheless so audible that people can listen in.

"Uhm, yes.. Yes he is. " Mara states a tad timidly, and a small smile comes to Draco's face. After lunch, it's almost time for the church ceremony but Harry asks Mara briefly if he can have a word with her and Draco frowns but says nothing.

They walk quickly to his quarters where Harry quickly goes to changes in the bathroom and then comes out showing two types of sashes, one red the other blue.

"Ok. I know this doesn't make any sense and you know I am the last person on earth to worry about these dumb, frivolous things but on the other hand.. it is all in the details so... What do you think, red or blue? I don't know, I can't make up my mind and it has been bugging me for days", Harry states a tad exasperated. She looks at both sashes before deciding.

"Blue... 100%" she answers determinedly.

Harry smiles in relief and puts the blue sash on himself and Mara looks at him, feeling very melancholic the next moment.

"How are you doing?", he asks a bit worried and then..

"I was astonished when I came back from Italy last month to find out you weren't there. And married.. Living in Astella. I had no idea. No one had written to me; I asked my mother about it and she said she and my father were instructed to-.. I mean I didn't know till I got back", he says, concerned.

So.. that was why she had not heard from Harry all these months. Got to love her sly, calculating mother of hers.

"If you ask me the entire thing.. is just wrong.. "and Harry shakes his head.

" _Jus_ t wrong but I have to say Draco seems to be friendly.. I am a bit surprised because he doesn't have the.. best of reputations.. Does he, he treats you well? You're happy over there?", Harry asks a bit concerned.

"He does. I am happy.." she blatantly lies but her eyes tell the truth.

"Mara..", Harry warns, seeing through her but she doesn't want to talk about it and spoil her good mood.

"Honestly, I am doing fine.. Enough about me.. I can't believe you're getting married.. Feels like yesterday when you and I were building sandcastles at the beach", Mara reminisced.

"Oh... Well, I'm a bit busy today but I'll have time tomorrow" Harry grinned and Mara smiled.

"Glad you are here, cousin" and he walks over to her and puts a hand on her shoulder.

"Would not have forgiven myself if I hadn't been. Now. Shall we?", she says, and Mara extends her arm to him and he hooks his with hers.

The ceremony is beautiful; short but sweet and everyone can see these two are madly in love with each other. After the ceremony, everyone hangs around a bit but then scatters to unity to prepare themselves for the reception.

Tonight, she will be wearing a light blue no, ice blue tulle dress with lace embellishments, her hair will be done "up', yet she has some locks of hair framing her face on both sides. She is looking forward to this evening and needs just that, to stop thinking about the events of the past few weeks. The ladies walk up to the ballroom and are met by their husbands.

Draco, as usual, looks extremely sophisticated; this time he has chosen a grey suit with an ice blue handkerchief to match her dress.

He thinks she looks beautiful tonight; the dress accentuates her skin tone and her body, and he must try not to stare. They take their seats and then dinner is served, and soon everyone is talking to each other before the first dance is announced.

Mara smiles at the happy couple and unintentionally she is reminded of her own wedding and her smile quickly fades. She doesn't realise that Draco is watching her but as she turns her head towards him she sees him staring with a look that she can't immediately identify but soon he focuses elsewhere.

After the first dance it is time for the traditional Leidallian group dance, the Centennial where everyone interlocks their fingers as they dance around the room.. To her surprise Draco also gets up to join them, but a bit late, so they position next to Mara is filled and he instead dances between his mother-in-law and Mara's sister Amelia.

Centennial is not a difficult dance to do but it is a highspeed one and Draco can't keep up as much as he tries and it is a comical sight to see, and Mara almost chuckles. After a few rounds around the room, they both simultaneously stop and go back to their table.

As they sit down he leans in to whisper something in her ear

"You do like seeing me squirm and make a fool out of myself don't you?" and she thinks he is mad but when she looks at him she sees that he is smiling.

"No comment", she says with a smirk on his face, and then she happens to glances at her mother who looks incredibly happy and saying something to her husband afterwards. The music has stopped playing and everyone sits down again.

Draco gets up from the table to congratulate the bride and groom and he talks with them both for a while, then the music starts playing, the customary waltz. Mara is in conversation with her sister about her pregnancy until she suddenly feels someone standing behind her and turns around.

"I think I know how to handle this dance... May I?" and he extends his hand to her. Her eyes grow big in surprise, but she gets up, takes his hand and by God, she will never get used to him touching her because as per usual it unnerves her, yet makes her heart beat so much faster.

They walk towards the dance floor, face each other and then he puts one hand on her back and as he does.. he very briefly, very inconspicuously grazes over her back with his fingers. With the other hand he entangles hers with his and they start moving. She tries to avoid his gaze by looking elsewhere instead but it is difficult as she feels his burning on her.

They dance silently and somehow that makes things worse, and more uncomfortable as they are also watched by her family. Out of the blue, he says something that surprises her.

"You look nice... I mean uhm, beautiful tonight, Mara", he says a bit.. shyly but it seems to be an honest statement.

She is so surprised at the sudden compliment she doesn't know what to say, just looks at him like a deer caught in headlights but he doesn't seem to mind the fact that she doesn't reply and smiles at her.

They avoid each other's eyes as the dance progresses a few times. When they do look at each other it feels awkward but also.. nice in a strange way. Like something has changed and Mara is aware of it but can't put her finger on it. A moment later the orchestra stops playing again and they re-join the other guests.

The rest of the night is a bit of a blur.. When it comes to an end some guests linger, including Mara to chat with Harry a bit more. Draco walks up to them, congratulates Harry again and mentions to Mara he wants to retreat for the night. She just nods assuming he has his own room made ready for him and she'll see him in the morning.

She says goodbye to the bride and groom and then walks with a servant to her hers. Mara opens the door and finds, to her utter shock, a partly undressed Draco with his shirt unbuttoned and his chest revealed.

Mara gawks at him a little before she realises she is gawking, and at this point and then quickly turns around. Draco can't help but smirk a little behind her back.

"Oh God.. I am so sorry. This must be a mistake.. I shall go and-" and she wishes to walk away as soon as possible but his words stop her.

"It's a suite", he says, she turns to face him and says she doesn't understand, although she does and darn well knows what a suite is.

"Uhm, it's a suite.. If you go through that door, there is another room. I saw them bringing your belongings in earlier", he explains.

"OH. OH. Right.. Right..", she can only utter, he still has not buttoned his shirt, so she tries not to stare but it is really hard not to stare at someone when you are in conversation with them.

"You can stay here, I mean there" and he pointed to the other room.

"Only if you want of course" he continued to say shyly.

Mara only nods, stands there a bit a bit longer, for whatever reason, before realising she really, really should _go._

"Well then, goodnight" she says.

"Goodnight", he says with a nod.

_He closes in on her..._

_Grabs her and then reaches for her throat._

_She can't shout, can't speak and she feels the rest of her body is immobile as well._

_He inches closer._

_Aims for her mouth, kisses it hard, muffling the screams she can't let out._

She wakes up with a jolt and unknown to her, this time she had screamed.. Her breathing is irregular and as with every time she tries to console herself with repeating to herself over and over, in her mind, that it was a dream, and he is not there. Not anymore.

It also helps when she hunches over, grabs her knees, positions her head between them and starts to focus on bringing her breath down but then she hears a knock on the door and it slowly opens after.

Draco walks in, wearing a blue pyjama, slightly dishevelled after being woken up from likely a deep sleep.

In a second, her face is up again, and she looks at him startled but then, somehow, reassured.

Draco is there, it sounds in her mind, but she doesn't know why she thinks so. He looks at her for a while, slightly concerned and compassionate.

"Andrew?" he finally asks. All Mara can do is look away, but even if she does not answer her question he knows the truth.

"Are you alright?", he asks, genuinely seeming to be concerned.

"Yes... I'm fine thank you... Sorry... I woke you up" she says apologetically, feeling genuinely embarrassed that she had, and he was standing there, in her bedroom, with pyjamas on, nonetheless.

Way to embarrass yourself once more, Mara as if your life had not been a continuous string of unfortunate and embarrassing incidents.

He makes a waving gesture with his hands to indicate that it doesn't matter but then glances at her again, this time a bit more intently and he frowns slightly next.

"Are you sure you are OK? You want a glass of water or anything? I could-" he asks again, not believing her earlier statement,

"I am sure and no thank you.", she answers but he doesn't exactly buy it.

She looks completely out of it, shaking, obviously still frightened and trying to recuperate herself and on the verge of tears and obviously lying but she said she was fine, and he shouldn't press the matter further he thinks.

"Alright then, uhm.. try.. I hope you get some rest", he says awkwardly, and she replies by giving him a sad smile, so he sets out to leave, even reaches the door but the next second he is stopped dead in his tracks.

The sentence is barely audible, but he hears her plea, nonetheless.

 _"Draco.. I_.. lied., I'm not doing well.. I.. I'm scared _"._

She had gotten up out of her bed and stands there, vulnerable, for she asked him a question that he might give a negative answer, but she somehow had wanted to let him know.. that he wasn't doing okay, that the brave face she had tried to put on for months was a façade and it was cracking, willing to let her soul and secrets bare and as much as she wished she couldn't do anything about it.

He turns and looks at her, slightly bewildered at her statement, then the oddest thing happens. It but it happens before he knows what has come over him. In a second he has walked over her and reaches for her with his arms.

Without knowing what comes over _her_ , she lunges herself to his embrace, and holds on tightly.

It is so strange... Draco realises that this is the first time he has held her.. the closest he has been to her and it.. doesn't phase him or appal him not at all, instead it feels natural and in particular, somehow.. long overdue.

She sobs a little and he tells her it's alright, that she is safe.

He makes fast soothing movements with his hand over her back in some way, to get her to stop shaking so much.. It takes a while, but she eases into him and her heavy breathing and quivering stops and then..

They just are, lost in the sensation of embracing each other it seems. Mara takes in his scent and he smells lovely, so, so lovely, this time reminding her of the forest, for whatever reason, and he, well his motions are a lot slower now for some reason as if he is trying to adjust his body to hers, and he does this unconsciously and unintentional of course..

Right?

She breaks free from his hold, understanding the sudden awkwardness of this situation, her holding somebody and especially who so she tells him she feels better now..

"Thank you for.. ehm.. thanks." she stammers, and her face flushes because she is embarrassed at her behaviour, lunging at him like that.

He just nods and takes a step back and he too is a tad flushed but doesn't try to let on.

"You are welcome" he says and then he proceeds to move away and heads for the exit, leaving an affected Mara behind, who starts to wonder..

What the hell did just happen?

*******************************************

The next day, after lunch, it's time for the newlyweds to go on their honeymoon and everyone kisses and hugs them goodbye. Harry says she and Ginny will come visit Mara in Astella at one-point and she tells them they're always welcome to visit. The ride back to Revenier castle is a pleasant one, for Mara sleeps throughout and is only woken by her sister when they arrive.

From that point on she immediately goes to hide in her quarters, even refusing to come to dinner, anything to avoid him but she has no such luck when he finds her in the library later..

She looks up at him from her book as he enters, walks over to her, and just like the other day takes place next to her.

Being this close to him brings up memories of last night and she instantly feels embarrassed again and feels like must explain. Must tell him she should not have acted this way, but he decides to bring up another subject.

He pauses a few moments before he speaks..

"I have to go back to Astella", he says solemnly.

Oh. OH. Her heart sinks unwillingly and her face must have dropped, clear for him to see but he doesn't call her out on it but instead answers the question she is dying to ask him but a tad afraid to.

"Monday.. I'm going to leave Monday", he answers, biting his lip, Mara thinks it is something he does when he is feeling uncomfortable. Strange... That she notices these little quirks as if she slowly is getting to know him better.

"I understand, well.. give my love to- "she starts but when he cuts her off mid-sentence.

"I was hoping.. I" and he nervously goes through his hair..

"I was hoping you would come with me" he says with an earnest expression and her mouth drops open..

"I meant what I said to you a few days ago. I'll try.. I will act.. be better.. towards you. I meant that.." and he takes a deep breath.

"You don't have to answer me now.. I just want you to know that I'd like it if we return together. If you want to stay however, I can't possibly stop you", he concludes.

"Think about it. Sorry for bringing this up last minute. I wanted to talk to you sooner but I.. I don't know.. I should have definitely told you sooner", he summarizes, now slightly stammering and it's embarrassing for him.

He smiles briefly at her, reaches for her hand and gently, also very briefly, squeezes it and then leaves her to be alone with her thoughts again..

That night, she tries to sleep again but can not but this time it is not thoughts of Andrew that keep her up. She thinks about what to do.. thinks about everything that has happened the last months, the hurt she has felt, his demeanour towards her but also the change in behaviour towards her now.. Should she give him a chance to prove that he is telling the truth or.. or was he pulling yet another wool over her eyes.. Would he fall back immediately into his old ways? Or could he tell the truth? There was only one way to find out.

_******************************_

So, when Monday comes, she said goodbye to her family and left her home country once more, this time at least she knows what she is getting herself into.

_******************************_

**ONE MONTH LATER ASHWOOD CASTLE, ASTELLA,**

**_JANUARY_ **

Draco had been truthful, he was trying to get along with her more, asking her more questions at dinner and engaging her in activities with Theo and Dante, and genuinely acting a lot nicer towards her. He even liked to play jokes on her. His new hobby was to disturb her while playing her piano, by suddenly running past her, deliberately pressing a few keys, and then running away again. The first time, she had looked at him in amazement, as he had needed a book, but ran past her on the 'way back', deliberately taking her out of her concentration by slamming on the keys.

She had looked at him in surprise but when she saw his mischievous smile she knew there was no harm in it. He continued to do this, walk in the room, say he needed a book and then run up to her and her piano.

Just like today, but this time she was ahead of him and grabbed his hand.

"Don't you dare, Draco," she said smiling and the two looked at each other, then at their hands that were wrapped around each other before one, Mara, shyly let go and after a flustered exchange of glances between the two, Draco had walked away.

That was not the only change in the castle. One day Mara was walking through the building towards the library when she saw a man in a black suit staring at a painting.

She nodded politely to him as she walked past, and he curtsied to her but neither said anything.

Throughout the days she kept finding him staring at a variety of works in the castle and her curiosity grew.. Who was this man?

The last time he was staring at another painting, quite for a long time and she didn't know why but she needed to know why and who he was, so he addressed him. He was still deep in thought analysing the painting until her question startled him.

"The storming of the temple of Artemisia... You like this one, I think, for you have been looking at it for a considerate amount of time. Are you a fan of Rutger Hauer?", she asked.

He turned to face her.

"I am, he is a master at capturing the ordinary but making it extraordinary", he answered, politely and that point Mara finally got to look at him.

He was a tall man, with dark brownish hair which had a nicely coiffed tuft on top. He was dressed nicely, wearing a blue jacket, a beige shirt dress shirt and around his neck a bow that matched the colour of said shirt.

In all fairness, an attractive man to look at, even more attractive when he smiled.

"Allow me to introduce myself, Benedict Bridgerton, Your Highness" and he made the appropriate gesture to acknowledge her stature again.

"Mara..Raven- Malfoy", she answered.

"It's a pleasure and honour to meet you, Your Highness", he amicably said.

"Please, Mara is sufficient", she wished to let him know.

"Oh.. I'll try to manage calling you Mara, but I can't promise you anything. Please don't judge me if I fall back into decorum."

"I am happy to have run into you by the way.. I have finished painting your brother-in-law and his expected wife, and I have done a first sketch of your husbands, so you are the only one left to paint", he stated to Mara's confusion.

He then explained that he had been commissioned by Lucius and Narcissa, that they had an artist to work at three portraits of their family every year, and that they wished/wanted Mara to have hers painted as well.

It was a lovely gesture by her in-laws for it meant that they truly considered her as family as well, yet three portraits seemed to be a bit much, but he explained these were to centre around different settings, like for instance in front of the castle, in the library etc.

They talked to each other for a while until he said he was looking forward to working with her and she politely stated she would do. Then they parted ways, he intended to find another painting to analyse and as she walked way away from she could not resist but glance back at this man.. this curious but interesting man.

***********************

"Where's Mara?", Theo wanted to know. It was Sunday and she usually joined them on their activities, but she was absent. They were playing pool in the cigar room and chatting throughout.

It was Dante's turn now to play now.

"Oh.. She uh, has her portrait done if I am correct. Right, Draco?" he said as he successfully hit with his cue, scattering balls across the table into two pockets and then turned to Theo, smugly.

Draco sullenly nodded.

"Ah I see.. Guess we'll have to play chess without her. Shame, really.. I always like to see you lose, Dante" he smirked, and Dante gave him a glare, but followed it up with a grin. He then looked at his sullen brother who had been silent all morning.

He could see something was bothering him.

"What's the matter, little brother?" he wanted to know, and Draco said "nothing", but Dante pressed on.

"Come on.. You can tell us"; he told his brother reassuringly.

"It's nothing really", Draco began.

"I just.. I feel like we shouldn't let Mara be alone with someone since you.. know what happened last time", Draco argued.

Dante frowned and shook his head in confusion..

"With Ben? Nothing to worry about, he is a true gentleman. Very well mannered, after all he comes from a renowned family in London, genuinely nice as well. You have met him for crying out loud and told me yourself you thought he was a nice lad...", Dante concluded.

"Right, right", Draco said and then something dawned on Dante....

 _"Unless_ " and he couldn't help but grin slightly, yet he did not finish his sentence but instead looked at Theo, who somehow understood what Dante was implying.

"Aww this is so cute" Theo beamed.

"It _is_ isn't?" Dante replied with a big grin.

"You know, Rey told me something like this could happen and I flat out laughed at her. I feel bad for it now", Theo regretfully stated then chuckled afterwards.

"She did? How astute of her to predict this. What a clever young lady", Dante noted.

"Yeah she is" and Theo beamed at the memory of his girlfriend.

"Will any of you please tell me what the hell you are on about?", Draco asked, tired of being ignored and desperately wanting to know what they were on about.

"Are you going to tell him or should I?"', Dante addressed Theo.

"I'll do the honours, I don't want him arguing with you later" Theo dutifully replied, and she scooted a bit forward on his chair, crossed his hands and intently looked at his friend but paused a bit, as if he wanted to add dramatic effect so the message got through.

"I think you.. maybe, maybe be a tad jealous", and the last part of the sentence came out a bit hesitantly.

Draco's mouth flew open in fake indignance.

"What? I am not jealous?? Why would I care... I mean.. I do care because.. because I don't want her to get hurt, that's all", he tried to argue weakly because his voice had faltered, and he knew it.

They could not help it, but they burst out laughing, his friend and Draco and brother. Draco shook his head angrily.

"I am leaving. Find me when you both aren't acting like idiots".

"Aww come on, don't leave!. STAYY", they both said but their plea did not persuade Draco one bit. He was about to reach the handle of the door and intent on leaving until he heard Dante address him.

"Draco", Dante said with a soft voice and he could help it, he was too curious at what Dante wanted to say so he faced his brother again.

"It is okay _.. if y_ ou like.. It is _okay to like her_. I hope you know that. You don't need to be embarrassed about it", Dante said earnestly.

Draco glanced at his brother and for a moment wanted to say something but didn't. Instead, he walked out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you happen to like my stories please consider buying me a coffee. It would be very much appreciated since I am like.. broke and unemployed. 
> 
> http://www.buymeacoffee.com/Bailloo2207


	13. Chapter 13:  An Admission of Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A "certain thing" happening was not in the cards or planned for this chapter but I went with it.  
> KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR MR. BRIDGERTON. He'll return.

"So, you have seven siblings? Am I correct?", Mara inquired.

Benedict looked up from his canvas into Mara's direction and smiled in that characteristic way of his which seemed to exude friendliness. He was sketching, working on the first painting of the three in total and they had started today, and Mara had never had such a good time with a painter as he was nice to talk to.

" Yes... seven in total. Hyacinth is the youngest but is taller than Gregory" he explained.

"You must miss them" said Mara to which he smiled again, and she could see how fond he was of his siblings.

"I do but I'll probably won't return to Great Britain anytime soon". he replied.

"What are they like.. your brothers and sisters?" Mara wanted to know, genuinely curious and he briefly gave a summary.

Anthony was the oldest and therefore the 'head of the house', Colin was planning on travelling soon, Gregory and Hyacinth fought like cats and dogs but would always defend each other when one of them got in trouble, his other sister Daphne had just 'debuted' in London's society and then.. there was Eloise..

"Would rather read books than go to balls.. I'd imagine I would get on with Eloise", Mara said with a smile and he laughed..

"I would imagine you would..", he grinned and then proceeded to ask her how many siblings she had.

"Oh.. I have an older brother and two younger sisters. I was lucky to see them last month when I went back... went back to Leidal to visit", she said shyly. She didn't know why she was shy around this man, but she was somehow.

"Aah... How lovely. Family is so important after all, when we lost our father unexpectedly, we sought comfort in each other, trying to ease each other's pain. We all had our bad days and there was mother to think of but.. eventually one day.. things did not feel so all-encompassing awful anymore. Um, could you raise your head a little, your Highness.. slightly higher... That's perfect, thank you", he smiled again before returning to his work.

Thoroughly engaged in conversation they both forgot about the time. She was disappointed when he told her that was all for today. Mara could not remember the last time she had enjoyed talking to someone this much.

'Well thank you Mr. Bridgerton for your time" she said politely, and he bowed to her before addressing her next.

"If you don't mind and wouldn't oppose to it... Call me Benedict.. I feel like we are becoming rather acquainted and I would prefer Benedict, if.. if you don't mind of course" he said, smiling briefly. She pondered about his request for a little while and then said..

"Well then only if you'll call me Mara and not Your Highness" and she returned the smile and for a.. moment.. they stood there looking at each other before both awkwardly glanced the other way. He excused himself and said he wanted to continue tomorrow if of course she was available. She said she was and bid him a good rest of the day.

******************

At the end of day four Mara was lying in her bed, thinking the day over and a thought crept into her mind, a notion that she SHOULD NOT HAVE but she still had.

 _If_ she had been so lucky to find someone _herself_ to marry with... she would have hoped that man would be a lot like Benedict. Kind, intelligent, charming, handsome too (she could not lie he was not), easy-going, talkative, and lovely to be around.. Whoever was going to marry him was going to be an incredibly lucky lady, she sighed..

_If only.. if only.. she had met.._

A second later she scolded herself for thinking this way for it was wrong, clearly wrong because well she was married to Draco now wasn't she? Even if it was a marriage of convenience Mara should not.. well, it just wasn't appropriate to think like this about another man than her husband..

And then she scolded herself for scolding herself earlier.. Not appropriate to think about another man like that? Had she forgotten about Draco's antics with Katherine and Pansy? What fidelity did she owe him? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

But .. it would be probably better to maybe not be so chummy around Benedict for the upcoming days, keep her distance and remain 'professional' as she didn't want people to get the 'wrong idea'. But if she was truthful, she did not want to do this at all, didn't want to keep her distance from him because she had already grown accustomed to his funny stories and being able to just be 'Mara' around him.

Not Mara Malfoy. Not Princess Mara Ravenclaw but just.. her own self. She had not felt this on ease since she moved to Astella, had not had so much 'fun' but.. she knew what she had to do even though it would pain her to do so.

At their next appointment she had been silent for most of the time and only given brief answers to his questions and it bothered him.. Had he done something wrong? Overstepped boundaries he should not have, perhaps? She acted a lot different than the other instances they had been together, it was nice to talk to her, it made the whole process of sketching/painting a lot more comfortable and she seemed to feel the same way or at least he thought so.

He had always prided himself in being able to put a client on ease, but it was different with her.. Even though she was a princess she did not act like one, I mean he painted many a princess before and they were all awful and haughty to be around, but she wasn't at all. No, she was friendly, funny and he liked working with her.. Also.

_NO, Benedict.. Do not even go there, it is WRONG to even think this.. Just don't!_

Oh no, he probably should NOT find her attractive, but he did. She was _beautiful,_ she was, and it was wrong of him to think about her like that, he knew but he couldn't help himself. On more than one occasion, he had found himself staring at her likeness, just taking her in and was always a tad mesmerized, lost in just looking at her.

Yesterday he had been 'working' late in his room again, before quickly getting distracted by the woman on the canvas.. He had been so 'smart' to forget to lock the door but wasn't expecting visitors anyway.. Right?

"Working late, Mr. Bridgerton?".

The question, which he had half heard, startled Benedict and he had investigated the direction it had came from. It was Prince Draco.

"Your Highness, nice to see you.. Please come in", he said nervously before curtsying. Draco entered the room, and he did not seem to be in the best of moods. He looked angry, thought Benedict, why? There had been animosity between them when he had worked with Draco..

Draco walked over to Benedict; stood next to him and then didn't speak but just let his eyes wander over the painting, and then addressed Benedict.

"You truly are a talented painter, Mr. Bridgerton", Draco said, and Benedict smiled.

"Thank you so much, that means a lot coming from- ".

"When will you be _done_?", Draco asked. Benedict blinked and shook his head in confusion but then quickly corrected his behaviour since he was conversing with a Prince after all.

"Uhm. Well, I am currently still working on Portrait number 1 so it will take up a lot of time I am afraid to do the other ones as- ", he started..

"I assume you would want to visit your family soon in London since you have been in Astella for a while now", Draco argued.

"Sure; of course, but- ", Benedict tried to interject, fruitlessly.

"See to it all portraits are finished rather quickly. The sooner you finish, the sooner you'll get your wages and will be able to return home", Draco stated sternly, a bit too sternly and again Benedict did not understand what had happened for Draco to act like this.

He wanted to ask but knew it would be inappropriate, so he didn't and besides Draco seemed to be sunk in thoughts, staring at Mara's portrait again.

"She is beautiful isn't she?", he asked Benedict out of the blue.

"I.. I beg your pardon?", Benedict quickly countered and then Draco had looked at him intently, those grey-silverish eyes trying to pierce through him. It had an unnerving effect on Benedict, but he was keen on not showing this to Draco.

"You _heard_ me.", Draco said and then finally averted his gaze, then turned and walked away.

"Goodnight Mr. Bridgerton", Draco said as he reached the door and went on his way to his quarters, leaving a slightly disturbed man behind.

He couldn't sleep that night, was in a bad mood when he got up which was worsened by Mara's aloof behaviour. At one point, he couldn't help himself for he had _to know.._

"Your.. Your Highness- "he began.

"I thought we had decided to address each other on a first name basis", Mara countered friendly, not overly friendly.

"That is true.." Benedict said, uncomfortably, half debating not to go through with this but deciding against it for he would die from curiosity if he didn't ask.

"Did I do something to displease you, perhaps? I apologize greatly if I am overstepping but it seems like I have _displeased_ you and I need to why what I did so I can correct things", he genuinely, concernedly pleaded.

And at that point Mara could just about kick herself for she felt awful and guilty and the thought of him being worried HE had done something wrong pained her.

"Not at all, Benedict. I am sorry for being a bit withdrawn today. I .. I did not get a good nights' sleep that is all".

"Oh no.. no.. no. I fear you've mistaken me.. I didn't mean to- "and he cleared his throat, feeling the most awkward he had ever felt.

"You don't have to explain things to me, Mara, I just. wanted to know if I acted in a way that is improper- ".

"You did not. Not at all" and she shook her head with emphasis then glanced at him before taking her gaze elsewhere. He sighed a breath of relief and suddenly the atmosphere changed in the room, even if they didn't speak for a few moments after.

"Tell me more about Eloise, will you? Please?", she then asked him, trying to lift the mood further, and a second he gladly started talking about his sister again.

*******************

Mara was now posing for painting number three, in the library, this were to be the 'casual' portrait, about something she liked doing which was reading of course.

As the days went by their conversational topics changed from fluffy matters to more serious ones, about the war. He said.. he could not understand why shortly after the war, two opposing kingdoms decided to interlock their fates in marriage. She hesitated at first but then told him everything about the arrangement and he had stopped sketching in the middle of her explanation and then was silent for a while.

HE then just gave her a reassuring nod and a brief smile but did not push the matter further. By the end of that week, he was nearly done with all three pieces and he showed Mara the preliminary result..

"Truly exceptional work, Benedict" Mara delightedly stated. They were standing next to each other in the library admiring his art. Benedict smiled in response.

"If I may be so bold.. I had a good 'model' to work "with he said with a smile and for a second their eyes locked, just a second for looking away and then Mara excused herself for she had planned an 'outing', it was more a task really, with Sara to visit one of the nearest churches/convents.

When she returned she had decided to sit in the garden with a book even though quite a chilly day for January, but she did not care. A few minutes later she looked up from her book to greet the person that was nearing and that stopped a few paces from her.

"Benedict, hello", she greeted friendly.

"Hello Mara", he replied, replicating the same level of kindness and then his face dropped.

" I.. I have come to say goodbye to you".

OH. OH. A jolt of disappointment went through Mara. Of course, she had known their collaboration would come to an end one day, but she had not thought about not seeing him anymore and she hated it.. hated that possibility.

"Not to worry.. I will finish up the paintings and then send them over to you. I would have completed the consignment here, but I really must return home. You see.. I MUST return home for I have received the most wonderful of news.. My sister Daphne will be marrying the Duke of Hastings in a week's time", he explained a tad dejected even though he was so happy for this match to occur.

"Oh. I see.. Well, that is lovely news. Congratulations. I am happy for your sister", she exclaimed.

"Thank you.", he replied and then.. they did not speak for what seemed forever.

"I want you to know that it has been a pleasure working with you", he earnestly said.

"Likewise, Benedict.. I dare say I will miss our little conversations", Mara replied with a sad smile, somehow feeling like she could cry but she kept it together, nonetheless.

Benedict nodded and then just said "May I?" before he reached out his hand. She placed hers in hers and he bent down and kissed her hand, well her glove to be exact.

He then took a few steps back, all the while looking at her, then turned to walk away but.. did not make it extremely far.

_The hell with it he thought. The HELL with it._

He walked back towards her which she did not expect, but he had begun something and now he should finish it.

"Please be so kind not.. not to interrupt me before I am done with what I am going to say because if you do.. I might not say these things at all", he pleaded. Good God he was nervous, it felt like he was going to die. Was his heart beating this fast?

Mara only nodded.. By God, she was so curious as to what he was going to say she couldn't talk if she had wanted to.

"I.. I wanted you to know that... you are always welcome in London.. to visit.. _me._. Uhm, me and my family for instance.. London is a fantastic city to explore and you told me you have never been.. I.. I would recommend you'd come to, to see our fair nation and glorious city". Oh God he was rambling like an idiot.

"What I meant to say is.. Perhaps.. you could visit.. when you.. I mean maybe not visit _now, this year_ but perhaps in like.. sixteen months for instance", he said with a face probably as red as the paint he used.

Her mouth fell slightly open when she grasped at what he was exactly going to say but she didn't reply, just stared at him and then he understood he had made a mistake.

"This was.. a really bad idea, please forgive me for- "he began.

"I would like that" she had said.

"Pardon me?", Benedict had asked in bewilderment, thinking surely he had heard wrong.

"I.. I would like that.. To meet.. _you_ and your family in London "she elaborated and a second later he sighed a breath of relief.

"That would be nice "he stated cheerfully.

"In fact, it would be really nice" he repeated with a shy but happy expression.

"Well, I must go unfortunately, my ship is leaving soon.. Goodbye Mara, it was really nice to meet you", Benedict.

"Likewise," she said softly and then he was gone.

_DRACO DID NOT MEAN TO EAVESDROP._

_NOT AT ALL._

_He didn't mean to overhear things, but he did at even at considerable distance, in the corridor overlooking the garden._

_No, he didn't mean to be privy to their meeting, but he had been. And it had made him angry._

_And often when he was angry he would do **stupid things.**_

******************

She was walking to her room; it was already quite late at night and she had been yawning for an hour now, so she reluctantly removed herself from the library and proceeded to go to her quarters. While she was on her way she reflected upon not having seen Draco for most of the day, but she didn't think much of it, maybe he had been otherwise engaged.

She was lost in thought and totally unprepared for what lay ahead. She innocently opened the door and then..

_HIM._

_With Katherine._

_He was nuzzling her neck and kissing it and she was giggling in response_

And at that moment.. she knew.. It was a clear reminder who her heart belonged to for a moment later she felt it crumbling into a million pieces.

"Oh sorry, was this your room?" he 'innocently' asked her with a smirk.

After just standing there for what felt an eternity she finally came back to her senses, her brain initiated her limbs to move and as fast as she could she ran.. outside where she sat down in the garden, the same place she sat before and cried.

**THE NEXT DAY**

She could hear from a distance Theo and Dante discussing things with Draco on a high volume, even with the door closed, and she could tell from his voice Sarge was also there.

"YOU DID WHAT?", Dante asked angrily but that moment she had walked in the dining hall. Everyone was looking at her, she could sense it, but she didn't care. She was DONE with caring.

She walked around the table, leaving Dante, Sarge and Theo to stare at her, while she gained in on Draco. He got up from his chair, looking guilty as hell and regretful but she didn't care.

When she was close enough he had the audacity to say her name. The audacity to ADRESS HER.

"Mara, about last night I- "

She slapped him. Not once. But twice. Close after each other. Hard. Then she glared at him for a minute or so, but he didn't look up to meet her eyes. Then she turned and went to the only place in this godforsaken country she felt at ease on, the beach.

"Sorry little brother", Dante started.

"I think you might have deserved that", he concluded, and it was clear from Theo's expression that he felt the same.. Sarge was looking down at his feet but he made a nodding motion with his head.

"So **_instead of telling_ **her...", Dante started his sentence.

"Telling her what, Dante? What should I have told her?", Draco asked furiously.

Dante just glanced at him and inwardly thought it would not be any use to explain to Draco the obvious if he could not admit things to himself first.

"You have made things so much worse; do you realise that?", Dante asked him to which Draco said nothing. Absolutely nothing. Instead with one move, he glided his hand over the hand fast, effectively chucking his plate, cutlery, and glass to the floor.

Draco realised that he should make amends and quickly and therefore sought out to find her and he knew where he could and exited the dining hall.

She was sitting exactly there where he thought she was but unaware to his presence until the last minute and immediately walked away when she spotted him. He went after her and called after her, but she didn't respond.

Yet he gained in on her, closer and closer until he grabbed her wrist and made her turn. Mara slapped his hand away and just stared at him defiantly even though she was close to crying again.

"I can't believe you", she stated and all the while shaking her head.

"You lied. You lied to me.. You said you were going to try, you implied it. You wanted us to get along and we _were_ but now you have ruined things once again. Why, Draco?", she demanded to know.

He remained silent, probably figuring it would be best to be silent for now.

"Why won't you answer me? Am I that unworthy, that unimportant to you I can't even get an explanation?".

Oh hell, she was tearing up, oh why could she never control her emotions.

"Am I that undesirable you choose to embarrass me, continuously, rubbing in that I AM not the object of your affection let alone desire?" and by now the waterworks had come.

"No.. NO. You are NOT- ".

"Do me a favour Draco. Stop lying to me", she accused him angrily.

"What am I supposed to do now? I just got back from Leidal I cannot GO BACK ALREADY! "

" **WELL, _I HEAR_ LONDON IS LOVELY.** Why don't you piss off and go there, Mara? Perhaps visit a certain painter we both know hhm?", he sneered.

And at that point he realised he had made a huge error, but the sentence was out before he knew it. She looked like someone had just hit her with a ton of bricks, mouth agape, eyes nearly falling out of their sockets. She felt as if someone had just turned her to stone and cut off her tongue in the process.

"This conversation IS OVER" Draco remarked before she even would WANT to reply to his suggestion. Draco started to pace back in the direction of the castle and left her there, startled to her core, trying to think clearly.

It took moments for her to recuperate but when she did, she sprinted to him and repeated the move he had executed on her, grabbing HIS wrist, and making him face her. To her surprise HE did not slap her hand away though, just looked at it and then at her.

"Why did you do it? I want to know. Please?".

"Why are you so shocked? You knew about Kath and Pansy before didn't you?" he answered, trying to sound unfeeling but his tough façade was fading quickly. He started to breathe faster, failing miserably to keep his head cool.

She saw through the lie but didn't call him out on it. No, she would not force him to tell the truth if he was so hellbent on avoiding telling it..

That being said.. She felt it was fair to speak HER truth, so she gathered all her courage and spoke.

"I only _wanted_ you.. Only _you.._ Against my better judgement. Against everything I stand for. I know I shouldn't, but I _do._ " she said with a trembling voice, still not removing her hand though.

"But you're making things _so_ hard for me.. So, so difficult. It hurts too much, Draco. It hurts being around you because I, I know you'll never feel the-..", she stopped there because she had run out of courage again.

'You keep reminding me at every chance you get.. and all I know is.. that I cannot do this much longer", she said and again shook her head. With that she stepped away from him and released his hand, ready to leave him and everything behind for good, this time or so she thought.

_A mere moment later he had pulled her back towards him, had taken her in his arms, placed his hands on either side of her face and ... kissed her._


	14. Here comes trouble

Temporarily her eyes fluttered shut but then they opened again, and she was mesmerized for this was really happening. He was kissing her, and it felt, oh dear, it felt amazing. His lips were soft, and he tasted sweet, enticing her to kiss back or more and he smelled lovely, like on the beach in Leidal.

It was intoxicating, all of it and it was too much to take at first but then.. She didn’t know at what point she had started to kiss him, but she did, to her initial terror and surprise. This encouraged him only more by pulling her closer and holding her tighter because at one point both of his hands had dropped to respectively her back and her waist. He slowly started moving his fingers up and down her back and the movement made her tremble where she stood. Yet she let him, partly out of curiosity as to what he would do next, partly because she liked it. He came even closer and grabbed her even more and something seemed to ignite in him as a moment later he kissed her deeper and his hands roamed over her body even more.

Very, very briefly, he touched her left breast, which startled her, and he understood that perhaps he was going too fast. Nevertheless, he continued to place his mouth more intensely on hers, even using his tongue a few times. This.. was surreal, it felt strange, too strange, what was exactly going on? Malicious thoughts started going through her head, that the kiss was disguised as a cruel joke, that he must be playing with her because that was something he would do.

She suddenly detached herself from him and he gazed at her in confusion for he had not expected her to retreat. Their eyes locked and both were too lost to say anything and trying to process what just had taken place..

"Mara," Draco began when he finally came back to his sense, but she took a few steps back, turned on her heel and proceeded to walk away at such a high pace, she was nearly running away from him, but he managed to catch up with her.

"Mara! STOP," he said, and his plea worked because she suddenly turned back to him so that their bodies almost collided.

"What was that about?", she wanted to know, not hiding the accusing tone in her voice..

"What do you mean? What was that?", he asked with a frown.

"You kissed _me_!”, she exclaimed.

"Yes, I know for it happened like two seconds ago", Draco said with a small smile on his face, he couldn’t help but think it was rather amusing..

She looked at him, still half in shock, still trying to process things and an inevitable silence fell between them where they just awkwardly stared at each other. What was worse.. Mara had difficulty breathing which was apparent to Draco and it looked like she was going to faint any minute.

“Are you okay?”, he asked, a tad concerned.

"I .. I am.. I just.. I don't understand... First you're in my room with Katherine, no doubt sleeping with her.. in.. in my bed and-".

"I didn't do anything with Katherine there… Well apart from what you saw", he confessed a little shyly and Mara found this so weird. So weird seeing him shy and honest with her for he seemed to be telling the truth.

“Suppose I believe you that still doesn’t explain the fact that you kissed me! Me of all people!”, she exasperatedly exclaimed and aggressively pointed to him.

“YES I DID.. YES. Why are you repeating yourself?”, Draco shouted, annoyed, for this conversation didn’t seem to go anywhere.

At this point considered shutting her up by kissing her again, because a) this conversation would then be over and b) he had _really_ enjoyed doing that just now but ultimately decided against it. She was confusing him at this point and somewhere felt a bit hurt because she doubted his intentions, true, he had not giving her much reason to trust him but still it.. stung.

“Don’t you dare shout at me!” she then.. shouted at him.

“I’ll shout as much as I want”, Draco yelled. Mara scoffed loudly in indignance, shook her head, and then proceeded to walk away again.

“Oh great, run away will you? You’re used to it.” he accused, and she turned after hearing that comment and it became clear to Draco that he had made an error.

“Excuse me, what did you just say?” she asked with venom in her voice and if looks could kill Draco would have been dead by now.

“Nothing.. I said nothing”, he quickly added for he did NOT want an argument with her right now.

“Good” she said before continuing her way, he let her a couple of minutes but then in previous familiar fashion pursued her, at a distance though. She tried to make haste and go to the castle as soon as possible but upon arriving saw Dante and Theo in the courtyard, probably having lingered to make sure Mara and Draco would not kill each other today. Upon arriving there she saw Dante and Theo in the courtyard but didn’t wish to interact with them and longed for the solitude of her room, well she was going to change quarters soon, after which Draco had done but now she had to make do.

“Hey Mara. You alright? Where did you hide his body?” Dante joked but she didn’t reply, looking straight past him?

Soon after Draco came, and this time Theo asked if HE was doing okay, but he didn’t get a proper answer either because Draco had a determined look on his face and said, “not now” and the two friends exchanged glances of confusion.

“What the bleeding hell is going on?”, Theo grunted out and his gaze was at a determined Draco that was walking as fast as he could.

“I have no clue .. but.. he followed her. Did you notice?” and a little smile crept upon on Dante’s face.

“You think too highly of me, clearly. I didn’t notice anything, and I really have no clue what is happening now.”.

“He _followed_ her.. Mara’s quarters are on the left section of the castle and Draco went in the same way as her”, Dante explained, now practically nearly smirking. Theo then finally understood what Dante was referring to.

"Then I think you and I should take our leave, mate," suggested Theo with a wink, to which Dante nodded and the two left. 

Meanwhile Mara had made it to her room, which looked spotless and like nothing had happened and she wanted to collapse on her bed but then but the memory of him and her.. flooded her mind and it made her freeze in her movement.

The door opened which she hadn’t noticed for she was too busy staring at the bed.

“I shouldn’t have done it. I was angry because of what you told Bene-”, she heard, and she turned around to see him standing there and she didn’t know what to make of it.. First he had kissed her and now he was in her room apologising and it unnerved her.. Yes he had apologised to her before and those apologies seemed sincere but still she had not forgotten about how he had acted towards in the now 8 months, she was here. His earlier behaviour didn’t correlate with his current one, she didn’t know what to make of it plus.. being in her room reminded her of him and Kath.

Suddenly her blood boiled again and therefore she unwillingly lashed out at him.

“GET OUT DRACO”, Mara sneered but to her surprise he didn’t, he just stood there like a.. lost puppy or something, trying to thread carefully. To him it felt like something had just considerably changed between them and, he didn’t know why, but he didn’t want to go back to the status quo as before.

He wanted to explore whatever this was, he had surprised himself most of all when he had bent over to claim her mouth. It was a spur of a moment thing, but he didn’t regret, no, in fact he was glad he had kissed her because it somehow initiated the beginning of something, and he wanted to know where that ‘something’ would lead them.

“Will you let me apologise properly?”, Draco asked, getting annoyed

“Listen I am sorry about me and Katherine.. about what you saw… I was angry and did something I should not have. It was a dumb thing to accomplish and I ended up hurting your feelings which I am sorry for. Please allow me to make things- “but she interrupted him.

“You don’t need to make things up to me and I don’t care what you do and who with.”; she sneered.

“I told you before you were a bad liar, Mara. Just twenty minutes ago YOU SAID-”

“I know what I said. Forget about it!”, she quickly mentioned before he could repeat her words against her.

‘I could but I don’t want to, for I think meant what you said, am I right?”, Draco asked and as he did he got closer to her, perhaps too close.

She didn’t want to answer and was trying to look everywhere but him.

“Will you answer the question please?”, he asked, this time taking a different approach, engaging with her a bit more softly.

“What does it matter?”, she retorted with a harsh inquisitive look but a little later her confidence faded quickly. “Are you going to mock me for what I confessed? “, she inquired timidly.

“Why would I mock you for saying the truth?”, he frowned, still what that soft spoken tone of voice.

“I don’t know.. because that would be something you would do. To **_me._**.”, she stated demurely, and he was struck silent for a moment. Oh right, he got. She didn’t think he was sincere with him wanting to kiss her and thought there was some motive behind it and naturally this upset him.

“I get it.. It is because I am I'm such a terrible person, right?", he nodded.

"What? No.. I didn’t imply that at all. It is just that your behaviour today is.. odd, and I can’t get my head around it. I find it strange that you suddenly are being, uhm, being nice to me after months, MONTHS of ignoring me or deliberately trying to aggravate me".

"Again. That’s because I am terrible. So horrible of a person that I kiss people out of the blue and must have an agenda or clarification as to why I did’, he said indignantly.

“Why are you twisting my words into something I never- “.

"No, it's all right Mara. Never mind. I apologize sincerely for kissing you without.. permission as well”. Good God, he had forgotten about what happened between Andrew and him and the sudden realisation of it struck a gigantic nerve and he looked so guilty.

Mara caught on quick but before she could say that she had not mind him kissing her and that he was nothing like Andrew, he had spoken.

“It will not happen again. Never again, okay?", he said and walked to the door opened and left her alone with her thoughts.

*******************

Gregory Goyle was absolutely delighted.. Even though he knew his revenge was going to be small, unorthodox perhaps, yet that didn’t deter him because even the small victories matter. This was his way of revenge, knowing the smug, entitled, slimy poor excuse of a prince, let alone human being, wasn’t going to get away with bending the rules much longer. That he could no longer escape from the consequences of his actions.. Gregory knew that the King had threatened with sending his sons to the war if another altercation with Leidal occurred.. Somewhere deep down, he hoped that the two countries would take up arms again and Draco’s arse would be sent it to war but that was not probably going to happen.

Still, he was over the moon that his audience with the King had been accepted and he stepped happily through the castle. He knocked on the door and waited for Lucius to say that he could enter, then bowed and took place in front of Lucius.

“Mr. Goyle.. Good morning. To what do I owe the pleasure?”, Lucius inquired but if he was honest, he was not keen on meeting this man at well for it meant trouble. As an advisor Gregory Goyle did not visit him much so whatever this meeting was going to be about, it was unlikely he came bearing happy news.

“The pleasure is all mine, Your Highness.. How are you?”, Gregory smiled.

“Good. Thank you for asking. Now, I have an appointment soon after this one, so I suggest we quickly get to the matter of things. What brings you here today, Mr. Goyle?” Lucius impatiently asked, wanting things to get over with.

“Of course, Sire. I wouldn’t want to take up too much of your time”, Gregory said with a sinister smile.

“There is something I must discuss with you, something grave unfortunately It has come to my attention”, ( _He had bribed several servants and maids that told him all about Draco’s and Mara’s relationship. One in fact had mentioned that they basically hated each other)_ “that the Prince and Princess have not consummated the marriage yet. Is that true?”.

“I can neither deny or confirm for I do not want to know about or impose on what happens behind closed doors at Ashwood Castle but if so.. what is it to you Mr. Goyle?”, Lucius wished to know.

“I am on the council of advisors regarding the treaty for truce between our countries as you may recall, Your Highness. As you know the relationship between Leidal and Astella is still precarious and needs tending to but” and he sighed as if was sincere.

“Someone has unfortunately told them about this rumour and they are not amused. Gregory concluded, once again with fake apprehension.

Lucius remained silent for a long while for he spoke but when he did he leaned in, closer to Goyle. His anger seemed to rise to the surface by the second, but he did not want to give this man the pleasure of knowing this not so covert attempt at blackmail was successful.

“And who informed, Mr. Goyle? You? If so, let be me clear. If I found out you are the culprit, I’ll have you hung for treason the following day”.

Goyle tried his best to appear as insulted as possible.

“Forgive me but I sincerely resent the accusation, my King. I would NEVER jeopardize the future of our great nation. I have been a trusted advisor for you and this country for many years.”, Gregory replied, looking faux hurt.

“Be that as it may, if I find out you have anything to do with this, there will be severe consequences.” and Lucius glared at the man sitting across of him.

“Rest assured that I am not the one responsible”, Gregory slyly stated.

“We agreed on the Prince and Princess having a years’ time to consume the wedding, it has not been a year yet. They still have four months left”, the King mentioned after a while of contemplating and silence.

“Why that may be true Sire, do not get me wrong, but.. the Prince isn’t one to.. keep his promises so to speak” and at that point Lucius glared at him but again, Gregory was not affected.

“So, what do you propose, then?”, Lucius asked for his patience was wearing thin and he wanted to know what Goyle was after.

“I suggest a consummation of the marriage within two weeks’ time, followed by a psychical assessment confirming that the Princess is indeed no longer a maiden. If Leidal asks in four months we can have the proof that we adhered to their rules.”, he smiled.

“I believe that would be reasonable”, Lucius admitted in defeat.

“Brilliant.. Now shall I be the one that informs the Prince or should you.. Sire?”.

“NO.. I will”, Lucius answered.

“Wonderful. Well, that was all I wanted to share with you, my liege. Thank you for putting my mind at ease”, Gregory grinned. He was akin on leaving as soon possible for he had accomplished what he had set out to do, so he got up and wanted to bow and leave but.. he could not.

“I know about your _issues_ with my son, Mr. Goyle. It appears to me that you have some sort of vendetta against him and I would advise you to..-.

“A vendetta?”, Goyle had at that point forgot for he was talking to, apparently even his patience could run out, but he didn’t care. He scoffed and then chuckled at the King’s accusation.

“I wouldn’t want to call it that.. No, Your Highness if I may be frank with you. I have a deep-seated dislike towards your son”, he admitted.

“Mr. Goyle”, Lucius warned. “Remember my earlier promise before you speak again. I am _this close_ to order a.. -“.

“Since you aware of your son’s connection to my niece, Sire, I am certain that you then must also know that she tried to commit suicide after the relationship ended?”.

Lucius looked at Goyle in part disbelief and shock and could tell he was telling the truth. Lucius had never seen the man so upset before, the man had always been cool and collected, just now even, in conversation with him. He had reacted completely unfazed to Lucius’s threat to have him executed so to see like this.. It meant that what Goyle had stated was true.

“I had no idea, Mr. Goyle. I am very sorry.. Is she alright?”, Lucius genuinely wanted to know..

“If you don’t mind Sire.. I would like to elaborate on that if I may”. Lucius nodded and Gregory took a big breath of air for he spoke.

“I come from a deeply religious family, my parents, my sisters, nieces and nephews.. We were brought up with faith playing a major part in our lives and it influenced everything. All my siblings and myself included sang in the church choir for years.. So, seeing as religion was a major factor in our lives it meant that we were to uphold certain morals by following certain rules. I am not saying these rules are fair or perhaps not outdated but we try to honour them. Our girls for example are taught to save themselves for marriage, that they should be pure for their husband. This notion, of being untouched for marriage takes place means everything to them and a reputation once ruined is not easy to re-establish as you may know. Anyway, Prince Draco.. he had promised to marry her at one point, and my niece believed him so.. certain things between them happened. After realising he was never going to follow up on his promises and that she was, to put it awfully, damaged goods. That notion.. it killed her inwardly and she could not get past it. So, one day she ventured out to sea. Just kept walking and walking until she could not anymore and let the waves consume her, mind you, she never learned how to swim properly so.. Fortunately, a fisherman saw her and immediately acted by getting over to her and saving her, but she didn’t want to be saved, no. In fact, he had to knock her out so he could take her back. We were alerted, went to the hospital where she stayed a couple of weeks. She is slowly recovering and we, my entire family, are trying to help but it will take many months or maybe years until she will be the same again. That bubbly, innocent girl is gone, but we are so relieved her plan failed. So, to get back to your earlier accusation of me having a vendetta against your son..”

Goyle took a moment to think.

“It would appear so that I do have one, yes.”, he concluded and then went on his way towards the exit.

Lucius had not interrupted him once during his entire speech, just had stared at him in shock. What possibly could he say? 

“Mr Goyle”, Lucius was able to utter before the man left his study, but he had to worry for Goyle’s hand was already on the handle.

“If there is anything I can do to help.. your niece.. do let me know”, Lucius offered.

Gregory Goyle then had looked directly at the King and:

“No, Sire. That won’t be necessary for I think your family has done enough” and with that final statement vacated the King’s study.

***********************

They avoided each other the following morning and afternoon and were successful in this. Mara did not even deal with Theo and Dante, to the displeasure of herself and the gentlemen in question. She wanted to but dealing with them would mean dealing with Draco too and she didn't feel like it now. Therefore, Mara was unpleasantly surprised that he hadn't finished his dinner when she entered the dining hall. He looked up from his plate, stopped eating for a moment, bit his lip and then continued, doing his best to pay her little attention.

She remained standing... was no doubt debating inwardly whether she was going to make up an excuse to leave, he knew, and didn't need to. They could have a meal together in the same room even if they had a row, well, they didn't have a row... That word seemed to be something that would happen between a man and a woman and their relationship was nothing like that... Was it?

“You can sit down. Don't worry, I intend to keep my word. My lips will remain far away from yours” he said sarcastically, and she hated it when he reacted like that and challenged her, just like a few months before. Back then she might have been shy and felt too uncomfortable to be around him, but now she knew better, and she didn't let herself be influenced so easily anymore.

Mara sat down and had her food served and while that was happening she looked at him briefly and he was nonchalantly continuing to eat. The footman entered after a short knock on the door, bowed politely and announced that Lucius was here and requested a meeting with Draco.

"He is in the Solstice Chamber", the footman spoke in a polite tone.

Draco and Mara exchanged glances, and both briefly saw a flicker of concern in each other's eyes. Lucius was here? She didn’t know why exactly but she had gotten a bad feeling the second the

"Tell him that I’ll be there shortly” and with that Draco got up, looked at Mara one last time and headed for the Solstice Chamber where he was greeted with a concerned father that sighed deeply as soon as he saw his son.

“What is the matter, father?”. Draco was beginning to feel a lot more anxious now than he was before, and he had a brooding feeling of impending disaster in his gut. Father and son sat down, and the King started talking, eventually telling everything.

“But this.. is unheard of.. We are being blackmailed into.. into-”, Draco wanted to argue but his face reddened in between so therefore he didn’t finish his train of thought.

"I am aware that we are but if we're honest, Draco, it's in the treaty and we signed said treaty so that means we have to oblige to the stipulations."

"That despicable snake of a Goyle... I should personally have him-", Draco sneered but his father cut him off before he could make the threat.

'You're _not doing anything_ , Draco. You're not going to give him any more ammunition to potentially damage our kingdom. He has, I’m sad to say, a point and every right to seek some sort of revenge and he has got us right where he wants us to be. If Leidal finds out that Mara still is a .. Well, they will feel disrespected and think you feel too good for their daughter. Who knows what their reaction will be, it just seems best to follow Goyle's advice? Especially at this moment where the king and his son, Tristan, are acting difficult in the negotiations".

Draco knew that Lucius was right, and a long silence fell between father and son in which each seemed lost in thought.

"I think you should know that…she tried to commit suicide, Goyle’s niece..”and the statement hit Draco like a ton of bricks. He looked at his father in shock and suddenly felt horrified. No, no.. It couldn’t be.. She couldn’t have.. This, this was awful, and he had been the cause of her attempt, he was sure that she had attempted it because of what he did. 

"What?", he asked for clarification, even though he knew exactly what must have happened, but Lucius only nodded, and Draco looked down in shame.

"I warned you not to take too many liberties with girls. You should never have implied you were going to marry her".

"You’re right.. So how.. how is she doing now?" asked Draco, still staring at the floor.

"She's recovering according to Goyle, thank God. Her family is trying to help her" sighed Lucius.

"Look at me son" he commanded a moment later and Draco looked at him cautiously.

"You should be ashamed of your actions. Very ashamed" and Lucius shook his head in acknowledgement.

"I, I am father.." Draco said softly, internally kicking himself for his once again stupidity.

“I really don’t know what to do with you anymore, Draco.. It seems that every time I try to warn you or correct your behaviour you do the exact opposite and to be frank.. I am getting to the point of not caring anymore because you don’t listen to me, nor Dante, nor Theo. You just do want you want, regardless of the consequences but what you seem to forget is that your actions have an impact on OTHERS. An impact on Innocent people and that is not fair, Draco, in fact it is plain cruel”, Lucius admonished. He wondered if he was ever going to get through to Draco, the boy, no man was 27 now and acted like a teenager.

"I think it would be wise if you told Mara the news as it would be improper for me to deliver it”, Lucius stated after taking a short pause from his preaching to a deaf choir.

"No, I understand. I will tell her in a moment”, Draco answered. Yet again.. yet again, he had been told off by his father as if he was a child and he swore.. He swore it was never going to occur again and that Draco would do his best from now on, to avoid this type of unpleasant interactions. It was time anyway. Time to man up, time to quit the tomfoolery and finally, finally he had come to that realisation.

"Good. Well, it’s too late to go back now so I'll leave in the morning. I will give you privacy and time to talk to each other so you will not see me again tonight.. Do try to bring the break the news gently yes” upon which Draco answered with a “I will” and then the King left.

Oh.. boy… This was going to interesting, no, not interesting, this was going to be terrible..

It was late and Mara was in the library, trying her best to read but each time her mind wandered. Her anxiety had not gone away, no, instead it seemed to be getting worse by the minute and it did not help that Draco walked in at that moment with an equally worried look.

"I have to tell you something," he said when he had come closer to her. And he told her everything, yes even about Goyle's niece because he thought it was better to tell the truth, that his stupidity had led to this consequence. He also talked about the medical examination to which she had looked at him in shock, but he had to share that piece of information as well.

Draco didn't want to lie to her. He might have been able to come up with an alternative story, but he didn't want to. He did not want to lie to her, and he felt he had to tell the truth, to give her the chance to close the door on him once and for all and rightly so.

She stood up and dropped her book in response and 1 of her arms went to her stomach and Mara started breathing irregularly.

"Oh my God. Oh my God" began to mumble and nothing else seemed to come out but these words until she recovered.

"You. You are unbelievable. I have never seen a more selfish person than you in my life!” she stated with determination.

" I'm well aware, Mara”, Draco dejectedly noted.

"Well great _. How lovely_ that you are aware now of your many faults but that doesn't help us!" she yelled before starting to pace up and down the room and he just stared at her as she did.

"This is... this is... just. Oh, my Lord" she said again before she sat down on the sofa. There she continued to look ahead but seemed to stare right through him until she spoke again, frightened, embarrassed. By now she was staring at her hands and doing everything she could to avoid his gaze.

"Who is going to? I mean who will...?" she began but she couldn't possibly finish her being. 

"What do you mean who will..?" but then he understood what she wanted to ask but was too reserved to do so.

"Do you mean... who you are going to ehm, perform the deed with?" asked Draco for clarification, feeling a touch mortified and apparently she felt the same for she was turning deep red now and fidgeting with her hands.

It took her a while to answer but then, but she nodded in confirmation upon which Draco huffed in disbelief and resentment.

"REALLY? Are you actually serious? What is wrong with you?!” he asked in a sudden feeling of exasperation, and anger at Mara’s implied suggestion. She didn’t appreciate the insinuation that she was taking things not seriously, she indeed was, very much so.

“What the HELL is that supposed to mean?” and she didn’t care that she had just exclaimed those words even though she was taught not to. Oh. Chamberlain Anthony would be so cross at her if he saw her right now, but Mara briefly thought before her attention was drawn back to Draco.

“You are asking **_me,_** _your husband_ , who is going be the one that is going to sleep with you? **”,** he said in aggravation and partly feeling angry at the suggestion.

“Yes I am. OF COURSE I AM”, she yelled.

“What the bloody hell for?”, he replied in an equal tone of anger.

“Because you said you WOULD NEVER SLEEP WITH ME!”, she accused with tears in her eyes and then he remembered exactly what he had said to her many months back. He felt embarrassed and above all like an arse. . . God, he really needed to do something to change, because time and again someone reminded him what a prick he was.

He did not know what to say, so he thought about it.

"If you... want someone else I would fully understand that.... I've done too much to you to.. well... If should you want someone else-"

"No of course not," she said resentfully, looking directly at him but even though she did, he felt relieved somewhere. Very relieved. He also knew he was a massive hypocrite, especially with his antics with Kath & Pansy, but the thought of her sleeping with someone else made his blood boil.

"When?" she said shyly, after a long silence.

"It has to happen within two weeks." answered Draco reluctantly.

"How about I write to Leidal that we're being blackmailed into doing this?", Mara wanted to suggest but then realised it was a dumb idea.

"Would that make any difference?" asked Draco and then Mara sighed and remembered the discussion she had had with her mother.

 _"Make sure he takes your virginity, Mara_ ," her mother had basically ordered.

The situation was hopeless and there was only one option to go through with it.

"Fine," she said shakily, only ‘Fine’.

"I am sorry??" he asked by way of clarification.

"It seems to me..." and yes there she went again and looked like she had dipped her face in rouge..

"I think it would be wise for us to leave this behind us as soon as possible," she suggested, without looking at him, her gaze fixed on the floor once more.

"That seems like a good idea," Draco agreed, but then she went quiet again.

"Uhm... Shall I come and see you then.. tomorrow evening or Saturday? Choose... You choose?", he asked shyly, and damn it, he didn't want to appear shy at all, but the situation was so incredibly... uncomfortable that he did appear that way.

"Saturday is fine" she said in a pinched voice. "Saturday's fine" she repeated softly.

"Alright then I'm leaving now.. Good night," he said, staring at her one last time before walking away with a beating heart and a rattled disposition, which he hoped he had been able to hide from her. He was as anxious as she was but.. on the other hand, there was a slight feeling of anticipation beginning to roar inside at the thought of spending the night with her. He was aware he shouldn’t be looking forward to it, so to speak, and that he did not deserve her, did not deserve to be her first, not at all but still he couldn’t deny that he wanted it to be, wanted her.

The kiss had been a spark now he wanted it to develop it into a fire. But first he had to inquire tomorrow with Goyle about his niece and see if there was anything you could do to make amends. Goyle would probably reject any form of consolation Draco wanted to offer but he was going to try.. He had to, he had now made a promise to better his ways, and this one he intended to keep.

When Draco was gone, Mara sank to the floor, closed her eyes, and tried as hard as she could to calm herself which was going to be impossible and that a sleepless night awaited her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IWRITERS NOTE:
> 
> I understand I am writing Draco to be unlikeable, but I warned for it remember. Still I promise he is going to change soon.. I am eager to get to the second part of the story soon, the "present time" so that is why I am choosing to speed things along and I want to work on my Bridgerton fic as well.
> 
> Anyway, do let me know if the pace is wrong. I initially wanted things to happen in chapter 16 but again.. comment if you think I am going too fast. The way Goyle gets his revenge may be a bit weird, you would say it would be, but it is something I have thought of since the beginning. Well, basically I had two versions of the 'good stuff' happening, but I will write the other scenario into a different chapter. Finally: I am not going to write about Draco saying sorry to Goyle and his niece, just trust that he will do make amends with them somehow and again I am aware he is a douche.


	15. Chapter 15:  A significant change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WRITERS NOTE:
> 
> 18+ things ahead, don’t read if you are under 18.. Oh, Dear God. I hated this chapter.. it took me a week and guess what I need to write another smut filled chapter for my Bridgerton fic.. I have realised that writing smut is difficult as hell and that I am much more better off READING it than writing it.. I really hope this chapter wasn’t… anticlimactic (no pun intended) and maybe I need to work on it some more later but for now I am frigging exhausted. I had two versions of them doing it in mind and wrote a different scenario (well most of it) but ultimately chose for my ‘original” idea. Hope you like it, if not.. sorry but do note.. It sucks to write smut in a different language.
> 
> p.s. As I am progressing with the story I am getting fonder of Dante, who notices everything lol and who I envision to look like Sam Claflin (if I ever do another much needed rewrite I will make Dante the older one instead of the older twin.)

T

**WRITERS NOTE:**

18+ things ahead, don't read if you are under 18.. Oh, Dear God. I hated this chapter.. it took me a week and guess what I need to write another smut filled chapter for my Bridgerton fic.. I have realised that writing smut is difficult as hell and that I am much more better off READING it than writing it.. I really hope this chapter wasn't... anticlimactic (no pun intended) and maybe I need to work on it some more later but for now I am frigging exhausted. I had two versions of them doing it in mind and wrote a different scenario (well most of it) but ultimately chose for my 'original" idea. Hope you like it, if not.. sorry but do note.. It sucks to write smut in a different language.

p.s. As I am progressing with the story I am getting fonder of Dante, who notices everything lol and who I envision to look like Sam Claflin (if I ever do another much needed rewrite I will make Dante the older one instead of the older twin.

*********************

**WRITERS NOTE:**

18+ things ahead, don't read if you are under 18.. Oh, Dear God. I hated this chapter.. it took me a week and guess what I need to write another smut filled chapter for my Bridgerton fic.. I have realised that writing smut is difficult as hell and that I am much more better off READING it than writing it.. I really hope this chapter wasn't... anticlimactic (no pun intended) and maybe I need to work on it some more later but for now I am frigging exhausted. I had two versions of them doing it in mind and wrote a different scenario (well most of it) but ultimately chose for my 'original" idea. Hope you like it, if not.. sorry but do note.. It sucks to write smut in a different language.

p.s. As I am progressing with the story I am getting fonder of Dante, who notices everything lol and who I envision to look like Sam Claflin (if I ever do another much needed rewrite I will make Dante the older one instead of the older twin).

*********************

**WRITERS NOTE:**

18+ things ahead, don't read if you are under 18.. Oh, Dear God. I hated this chapter.. it took me a week and guess what I need to write another smut filled chapter for my Bridgerton fic.. I have realised that writing smut is difficult as hell and that I am much more better off READING it than writing it.. I really hope this chapter wasn't... anticlimactic (no pun intended) and maybe I need to work on it some more later but for now I am frigging exhausted. I had two versions of them doing it in mind and wrote a different scenario (well most of it) but ultimately chose for my 'original" idea. Hope you like it, if not.. sorry but do note.. It sucks to write smut in a different language.

p.s. As I am progressing with the story I am getting fonder of Dante, who notices everything lol and who I envision to look like Sam Claflin (if I ever do another much needed rewrite I will make Dante the older one instead of the older twin.

*********************

That Friday flew by but luckily for Mara, she did not encounter Draco's well, apart from in the corridor, but then both pretended not to see each other. On Saturday morning she was a nervous wreck because it would happen today. But what time? The only thing she had communicated was Saturday, so that could mean anything. Oh God, if only he wouldn't come over right now. She wasn't prepared well he probably wouldn't for usually these things are done in the evening/night... Right? What did she know? She didn't know anything... Well, of course she knew what was going to happen and, and that it was likely. That it would hurt less if she relaxed but she already knew that that wasn't possible because well she couldn't possibly! She had gone through different 'scenarios' in her head for tonight and she pondered which one of them would be the most plausible.

One: It would be an awful, painful experience.

Two: it was going to be an embarrassing experience. Three: It was going to be a painful AND embarrassing and that was probably the one most likely. She had hoped though that Draco would 'accommodate' her tonight because there were two things she needed to ask him.

Oh God.. Why on earth did she have to do this again? Ah yes for her country for she had agreed to be a pawn in a game she did not want to play in the first place, well no one could accuse her surely of not being patriotic! Someone knocked on the door and Mara stiffened in fright until she saw who her visitor was, Sara Beaufont.

"Good morning, Your Highness" she said kindly and always there was an underlying French accent when she spoke.

"Good morning." she answered with a trembling voice which did not escape her visitor.

"How are you today?" asked Sara with a slightly worried look, Mara had told her what was on the schedule today so to speak.

"Fine. Fine...", she lied but then telling the truth a second later.

" Well.. no.. if I'm honest... I am out of my wits with worry and anxiety". Sara smiled briefly and then walked up to the princess and took her hand and squeezed it briefly.

"That is completely understandable from what I've heard but at this moment in time I don't presume worrying will do you much good. If I may be so bold... It might be smarter to take your mind off things now. How about a walk in the garden?" suggested Sara.. Her lady in waiting was right, it would be better to not worry about things she could not stop from happening yet that being said.. Her nerves refused to die down as much as she enjoyed spending time with Sara.

It was after three when they got back, and she and Mara retreated to the drawing room. Mara was trying to read a book and Sara was working on her embroidery. Out of the blue Draco came in and Mara's heart began to race. Surely.. they weren't to do it.. here? AT his hour?

Mara got up from the sofa but then did not move, nor did she speak because she did not know what to say. Sara quickly came up with an excuse to go, to Mara's displeasure and left wife and husband alone.. staring at each other.

"Hello, how are you?', Mara asked out of courtesy at one point for the silence was getting to her and she couldn't deal the uncomfortable tension much longer.

"Good and you?", he also politely inquired.

"Great. Great" she lied and there was a verbal interlude once more.

"Uhm, I realise I haven't been specific, or we would have been specific about.. tonight.. When do you want me to.. come by?" Draco inquired shyly.

"Oh.. I, I don't know. I don't .. know .. I suppose ten is alright", she suggested which he said something along the lines of 'perfect', she was too nervous to hear. He was planning on leaving but this time it was her who resumed the conversation.

"Uhm.. I am glad to see you, I mean.. I wanted to discuss a couple of things with you.. about tonight" Mara stated as she felt her face heating up.

"Certainly. Go ahead", he encouraged, curious as to what she was going to say.

"Firstly.." and she took a deep breath before continuing.

"I..I know it is customary to remove items of clothing in, in these situations but if you don't mind I would like to keep my nightgown on.." and she must have flushed even more now, she felt it.

Draco didn't know what to think, this was.. a strange request, to say the least but on the other hand he understood that it was going to be difficult for her to bare herself, all of herself to him and probably wanted him to only remove her underwear instead.

"O.. Okay.. What is your second.. uhm request?" he asked to which Mara started to flush even more.

"I.. I don't think it would be wise.. at this point for us to, to conceive children" she stammered with a face now as red as a beet.

He couldn't help but find her to be endearing at that moment and somewhere felt pity for her for it was clear from her disposition that she was struggling to cope with the 'pressure'. The Draco he was when they first met would have laughed at her perhaps, mock her for her inexperience but he didn't want to that.

"I have no objections to either.. ehm.. requests" Draco answered, hoping that was that all she wanted to go over with him for he wanted to put her out of her misery. She looked miserable and mortified, the poor thing.

"Just one more thing.. Uhm. Sara's sister is getting married soon.. Sarge and Sara have invited me to the wedding and to stay for a while, a few days.

"Oh, that is kind of them", Draco remarked dryly.

"Yes, very. Look I forgot to ask. Are you okay with me going there? Not that I need to ask for your permission.. or not that it should interest you that.. I will be away for a couple of days and I wouldn't want to break anymore rules since I stayed in Leidal for a couple of weeks prior.", Mara explained as she briefly glanced at him, then somewhere.

"No need to worry.. I am sure it will be fine, besides Archfield is a nice town and Sarge's family is super friendly. I am sure they'll take you go to sightseeing and stuff", he replied politely.

"You visited before?", she asked trying to make once again an effort.

"Yes, many times with Dante and sometimes Theo too. Sarge used to take us fishing along with his father's boat or we would go hiking at Devils pass." Draco explained.

"Devils Pass?" Mara inquired curiously, to her surprise she was intrigued and had temporarily forgotten about what they should be doing tonight.

"It is a hiking trail on Mount Scara. Worthwhile to see the view on top of it but really exhausting to get there.", Draco explained.

"Well, I wouldn't mind trying, do you think Sarge would take me there if I asked him?" but Draco shook his head.

"I don't think that he would, the route down can be treacherous at times. One wrong step and you can fall straight into the abyss", Draco remarked. "Even though me and Dante have gone to Mount Scara multiple times Sarge would always take the necessary safety measures and brought his brothers with, in case something should happen".

"Oh. I understand", she said a tad disappointed but then remained quiet and didn't ask more about Archfield even though she was curious what other sightseeing could be done there.

"Right.. Was that all?", he wanted to know, eager to escape the awkward tension between them in the room and Mara nodded.

"Then I'll see you later.. I have some matters to attend to on Arvendon and won't be there for supper, but I'll return.. on time", he quickly added before he made a swift exit and left to stew about tonight on her own.

***************

It was after nine o'clock and Mara was pacing in her room, up and down like a lunatic. Then it was half past.. Quarter to... Ten. Five past.... Quarter past.. Half.. past and at that moment she realised he wasn't going to show up. But then... there was a knock at the door and she immediately sat down on the sofa. However, that person did NOT come in but stood behind the door.

It was just the butler, passing on the message that "Prince Draco would not be coming tonight". Mara didn't know what to feel, should disappointed or relieved? Relieved that she didn't have to sleep with him or deeply hurt, it was a combination most likely, but it hurt. It hurt to know that he had deliberately turned her down and that she apparently cared about him at all. The kiss had undoubtedly been a mistake or a bad moment of judgment on his part. How stupid could she be? To think that he was going to go through with it, of course, he would not. He had made it clear to her that he would never sleep with her and she should have believed him. She walked to her bed and cried for what seemed it be 10 minutes and then drifted off to sleep.

************

He had not come by nor had she seen him in the morning or in the afternoon, not that she cared anyway for she was done caring. She had been so stupid in thinking he was going to go through it, she should have known better by now, she should have trusted the evidence that was in front of her, but Mara had hoped.. Hoped that.. Aah whatever. She was.. done with moping in her room and thought a little bit of fresh air would do her some good so she ventured outside to go the beach. She sat down on her favourite spot, hoping she could see Leidal in the distance for you could on clear days and luckily she was fortunate enough to see the outlines of her beloved country in the distance.

It was particularly warm today for March she thought, and the water seemed inviting to her, but she knew that it would probably too cold at the moment.. She figured she could swim around the end of May, that if of course she would be in Astella but somehow... she got the feeling she wouldn't be?

"Mara" she heard, and she glanced up from her thoughts to the direction the sound came from. Him. Bloody hell why did she have to come here, knowing FULL WELL, he could find her? She really could be stupid, too transparent sometimes.. If only she had gone somewhere else, out to the city for instance but no she had to go to the beach and now she had to face him.

She was not geared for a confrontation and at this point Mara had no desire to speak with Draco.

"Draco.." she said sternly as she got up and wanted to past by him as she could.

"Did you get my message? Last night?", he inquired uneasily with seemed to be a guilty expression of was it uneasiness or perhaps both.. She wasn't sure.

"Yes. Thank you for passing it on" she replied curtly and wanted to leave but he had grabbed her wrist as she wanted to get away, thus preventing her from doing so.

"I think I need to explain something" he began, searching for understanding in her eyes but she didn't want to give him a chance to do so.

"No. There's no need for that, believe me" and she wriggled free from his grip and walked away, at a fast pace.

"Yes but I want to.. " he said to her, well to her back to be more specific for she was stepping away hurriedly.

"I was sick... I felt terrible so that is why I couldn't... visit you", he confessed

"Sure. Draco. I believe you" she said in a sarcastic tone, still moving away from him. He made haste to catch up with her and suddenly she felt him pull her arm and turn her towards him, both hands positioned on her wrists.

"Didn't Charleston tell you the reason for my absence?", he asked wearily, a bit taken back by her response so far.

"No, he only said that you were no longer planning to grace me with your presence. It doesn't matter anyway" she concluded and once again she detached herself from him and turned around.

" It matters! It does.. Could you.. Would you please, just stop. WOULD YOU PLEASE stand still for a MINUTE?, he exclaimed in exasperation and she didn't know why but she obliged and turned to look at him. He walked up to Mara and stilled in front of her, sighing.

"I wanted to come and see you. You must believe me... I ate something I should not have at Arvendon. I suspect it was the shellfish was at fault.. In any case when I came back I suddenly didn't feel so good.".

"If you don't believe me ask the maids, they had to do clean after me hurling all over the castle, unfortunately for them" he smiled apologetically. Mara didn't know what to think, he seemed to be telling the truth but somewhere deep down her trust issues with him played up and took over.

"You do believe me don't you?" Draco wished to know.

"Why would I believe you? I should have known better to trust you on your word" she said accusingly upon and his face dropped in disappointment.

"Why, thank you Mara. That is lovely to hear.. Listen I know I've been acting like a jerk but.. but I am trying here! I am! And it sucks that you don't believe me. And it sucks that you don't trust me even though I have given you plenty of reason not to, I get. Yet doesn't mean you can throw every horrible thing I did to you in my face over and over.." he served Mara in reply and she couldn't help but think that he had a point.

And from what she gathered, he seemed to be sincere, he was many things she knew but a liar wasn't one of them. She felt bad for judging him too harshly and decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"You're right. It is not fair of me to automatically assume the worst of you. Please, accept my apologies. How do you feel now?" she inquired, genuinely wanting to know.

"Better. Much better" he confirmed as she smiled at Mara, relieved that she for once didn't doubt him for he was actually telling the truth. He had felt like dying last night and vowed from on to never eat shellfish for as long as he lived..

"Good to hear. Well... Perhaps it would be helpful if you went and got some rest, just in case so if I were you I -".

"I'd like to visit you tonight... if that's all right with you" he suddenly interjected and thus catching her off guard.

" I don't think we should go ahead with what we agreed to. I changed my mind" she replied after a brief silence and he stared at her incredulously a second later.

"What? Why? I told you I was ill and-".

"I know I know.. But he more I think about it the more I come to the realisation that that certain rule in the agreement isn't fair really, in fact it is asking way too much from us. I believe governments should be more.. considerate towards our situation if you know what I mean". she argued.

"For Christ sake.. Isn't it enough that we married each other?" she sighed.

"So, what do you suggest? We talk to Goyle and whoever is concerned about striking this rule?", he asked, and she nodded

"WE could try reasoning with them.. If that is what you want.. I'll talk with my father and ask him if a liaison with Leidal can be arranged" he said with a disappointed gleam in his eyes which Mara failed to notice.

"Great, brilliant. Thank you for agreeing with me, it is for the best" she nodded. "So, I am going to head back. I have some embroidering to do with.. Sara" Mara added.

"Good.. I'll walk you back if you want" he asked a bit timidly.

"Sure" and they started to make their way back in silence, neither of them speaking for a little while.

"For what it is worth.. Sorry about.. last night" he said out of the blue.

"It's alright Draco. Don't worry about it." she answered without looking at him.

"It's a shame really" Draco said as she glanced at her..

"I would have liked to kiss you again" he stated, and she stilled immediately and looked at him.

"You.. you want to-" Mara replied unsurely, swallowing the last part of her sentence.

"Yes but only if you would allow me of course" he stated as he glanced at her.

"So, the question is.." he said as he stepped closer to her.. "Would you let me?" he asked, and his gaze flickered briefly down her body and back to her eyes.

Draco then stepped forward to her, lazily in an attempt not to spook her and suddenly was close now, too close to comfort but she couldn't move as he was mesmerized by him and the moment. Draco gently placed the back of his hand on her cheek and she couldn't avert his gaze as much she wanted to. Perhaps she should have stopped him but that thought didn't occur to her especially not when he slowly tilted his head towards and bent forward.

His lips were soft, as she remembered but firm. He pulled back briefly after the first minute, to check if she was okay with what he was doing. The way she looked at him, lovingly, there was no other word to describe it told him enough and he bent down once more to capture her mouth.

Mara kissed him back shyly at first, but he was insistent and started to kiss her more instantly by taking her into his arms and speeding up the pace. He had now placed his hands on her face and gained access to her tongue. He allowed it to merge with his own, savouring her taste and all he wanted to do was prolong this moment and what could follow, forever.

Draco temporarily left her lips and started kissing her lower jaw and then her neck and Mara could not help but let out a gasp of surprise. Draco had now put his hands on her back, applying gentle pressure, guiding her down and before they both knew it they were falling to the ground and he gently placed her down. They were lying on a grass covered dune between two other ones and from the distance it was impossible to spot them.

He was on top of her now and she felt his weight on her and him positioning himself between her legs. The feeling was a tad unnerving yet at the same time it felt like it was meant to be. He was stroking her with his fingers, from top to bottom wanting her to get used to his touches.

She in return slowly ran her hand over his back to do some exploration herself and Mara found that he was a lot more muscular than she had thought initially and felt his muscles stretch at every move. Not long after feeling his soft lips on hers again he had suddenly cupped her breast, gently but firm at the same time and Mara let out another gasp to which he was not perturbed about.

Instead, he started to rub over her left breast, up and down and he was lost in it he seemed as if he couldn't help but feel her like that. His movements became more insistent as he cupped the other breast and gripped it, rubbing it firmer than he had before and at that point Mara couldn't hold back any longer. She had tried to remain silent before but unwillingly she had moaned in pleasure to her horror and she felt ashamed somehow. He pulled back a moment and stared down at her.

For a moment Mara felt utterly mortified and thought well he must have realized his mistake, he would retreat soon but it was nothing like that.. No, because as he was looking at her, he started to unbuckle his belt, never taking his eyes from her in the process, as if he were conveying a message. It seemed to be 'is this okay, stop me now if you want me to' but she didn't intervene. She didn't stop him when he had finally unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his shirt. She didn't stop Draco when she felt him pushing down his trousers and didn't when he lied down on her once more, this time nestling himself in her hair, his heart beating as fast hers was.

This time Mara took the initiative, she took hold of his face with her hands and guided it to her mouth. To Draco, that was the last confirmation he needed, and he started to persistently stroke and caress her body.

In a way she should have been anticipated the move and should have known perhaps that he would touch her _right there,_ but it still perplexed her and caught her off guard. Mara jolted upwards and did the next time as he had started to let his fingers wander over the most intimate spot on her body and it made her lose whatever ability to coherently think. Then she felt it, his fingers going downwards, under the skirt of her dress, to reach for her underwear. He started to tug it downwards but kept looking at her, gauging her reaction but she wasn't worried and wasn't anxious somehow.

She did take a deep breath as she let him pull her underwear over her knees than completely off her. Mara was sure she looked crimson from embarrassment from head of toe, but she couldn't deny it.. she wanted this.

Ever since Mara married him, she wanted this to do happen and now it was happening, as surreal as it was..

He laid down on her and started to fumble with the decorative bow of her dress to untie and eventually succeeded.. He pushed away her sleeves and pulled her dress down, revealing her white petticoat to him and much more bare skin on her chest and to taste more of her he began to place kisses on her chest, but it wasn't enough no.. he had to see her. _All of her._

Not being able to take it anymore he then also tugged down the sleeves of the petticoat underneath, rendering her discombobulated but also.. bare to him. She could see him swallowing the lump in his throat before he very carefully started to kiss her face, then her jaw, her neck, making his way down to her breasts.

He had cupped them again and started repeating what he did to earlier and the feeling was indescribable, overwhelming her even more so when had suddenly placed his lips on one of her nipples to suck. She gasped loudly and her hand shot out to his hair in a response, gripping it as he kept sucking and overstimulating all her senses. He repeated the same motion on the other nipple and Mara thought she could at any moment for, when she finally had the courage to look at him, had never seen something more erotic in her life.

She was now lying partially naked, with her chest bare to him and sans underwear but she still had the dress on. Yet there was no time to remove the garment for both sensed that it was time for.. more. She had felt the prove his arousal before as he was lying between her legs, but she had tried to.. ignore it so to speak but now Mara couldn't anymore.

As she was staring at the sky to prepare herself for the inevitable she heard him remove his drawers, then he gently crawled on top her, between her legs and this time she.. could something of ehm.. impact on her body.

He took hold of her face to make her eyes meet his before he.. before he..

At his first push inside, she froze and was unable to move as she looked at him in astonishment. As their eyes were locked he pulled back only to push back in once more, farther this time.

She winced from the pain it caused her and reached for his arms to steady herself.. Sensing her discomfort, he had stopped moving, other from being.. _there_ and looked at her pain contorted face.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked.. She waited a moment to reply before she shook her head, giving him the permission to continue. He slowly retreated with his cock only to thrust back in completely this time. He let out a loud moan, something reminiscent of an "ahh" and he closed his eyes in pleasure as he prepared himself for the next thrust.

It wasn't as painful as the other ones Mara thought to her relief. The next minute, he lied down on top of her, his face close to her neck. He started to kiss her there again but this time more persistently and she moaned in response. He started to move slowly to let her adjust to him but if he was honest, he wanted nothing more than completely and utterly ravish her now.

Good God.. He was such an idiot. All these months he could have had her and he was wasting his time with Kath and Pans.. She felt like perfection, tight yet the same time she could take him, _all of him,_ to his delight.

The wind was howling, birds were flying over them and waves were crashing but all they were focused on were each other, the rest didn't matter so it seemed. He kissed her again and as kicked up the pace, ever so slightly. It ignited a reaction in Mara as she couldn't fool herself anymore as this was starting to feel pleasurable, the way he felt and moved inside her, everything about it was overwhelming her yet at the same time she didn't want it to end.

Draco had buried himself in her hair and placed his hands on her hips for support and had succumbed to losing control. Somewhere along the line he had started pounding her, hard and fast, and all Mara could do was hold on to him by gripping onto his arms. She was close to experience something wonderful, she could feel it, but she couldn't let herself go yet, unlike Draco who was now groaning loudly, his face contorted in pure pleasure and he couldn't stop, so he continued until he felt as if was going to 'break'.

He was close now, so close, close, to coming and coming inside her but she didn't want him to, he remembered. He pushed into her one more time and then let pulled out, spilling himself on her belly. He looked down at her, and they exchanged uncertain glances with each other, yet at the same time they knew something had now changed between them forever. He reached for her petticoat and wiped again the.. evidence of their love making before flopping next to her, trying to catch his breath. They lay there for a while, in silence, trying to recuperate until Mara suddenly flew forward.

"Oh my God!" she screamed.

"What... what is wrong?" he asked her worriedly thinking he had hurt her perhaps.

"Your parents, Theo and Dante were supposed to come for brunch today!," she almost shouted and she got up and quickly dressed herself.

" ** _Is that it?_** Don't worry. They'll wait" he sighed exhaustedly for he still had not recovered.

"BUT THEY ARE EXPECTING US"! she shouted before pleading next.

"Get up please", she pleaded but he wouldn't budge.

"I cannot.. I will need some time for I will be able to.", he retorted with a smile as he moved and now laid down on his back.

"DRACO! For God's sake.. Please hurry!" she shouted as she tried not to look at him, too embarrassed, even if his .. private parts were covered by his shirts.

"What do you expect of me, we just had- "he tried to interject for she cut him off.

"Yes.. I am aware what we just did. No need to remind me. Just.. let's go! You know what.. I'll go ahead to not cause any suspicion and I need to go to my room.. to.. to change ", she stated with a flush.

"No wait. I'll come with," and he begrudgingly dressed himself and she patiently waited.. When he was done they started walking into the direction of the castle but refrained initially from conversation.

"Are.. are you okay? Did.. it hurt much?" he asked her out of the blue and she timidly shook her head.

"Good.. The pain lessens you know.. the more you.. it gets better uhm do it so to speak" he smirked, and she just stared at him in disbelief.. Did he just suggest they..

"There will be.. another time, right.. I mean.. I uhm would want to have one" he admitted. She didn't answer just yet because she had not regained the ability to think normally again yet. Oh, bloody hell. There they were.. In the garden. Everyone. They were early as well as far as Mara could tell by the clock in the courtyard.

Dante was surprised to see them coming from the beach, together for one, which was odd to begin with but also both looking.. dishevelled, as if they had hurriedly... got.. dressed which was strange because _why._. would they.. have to?..

_OH..._

**_Oh, he thought._ **

"Ah there they you are.. We were wondering where you guys were" Dante said with a knowing smile.

"The weather is lovely today is it not? I presume it was lovely to be on the beach?" he grinned ever so slightly at the pair.

"Yes it was very lovely brother." Draco grinned back and Mara wanted to slap him there and then but refrained from doing so..

"Well.. I uh think it is best that you might.. want to change, dear", Narcissa said as her gaze went to her ruined dress.

"Yes.. yes.. You are right, I will" and she sped away as fast as she could.

The brunch that followed was incredibly uncomfortable as was the rest of the evening because unfortunately for Mara everyone stayed longer than was planned and so she had no other choice feigning an excuse of not feeling well and retreated, where she after taking a bath, succumbed to exhaustion and slept the whole night.

**********************

She had left the next day, which was a Monday, quite early and had not said goodbye to him. Mara told herself she hadn't want to wake Draco, like that was the reason but it wasn't. In reality..

Mara felt anxious to see him and slightly.. embarrassed... she didn't regret what happened, but it still was kind of.. strange and something was different now she felt.. Well anyway.. the trip to Archfield couldn't have come at a better time. Sarge's family was indeed lovely, sweet, and hospitable and they had taken her sightseeing. The wedding on Friday was a small affair but Mara had enjoyed herself a great deal as she was swept to the dance floor repeatedly by Sarge's family and himself.

The trip back was scheduled for Saturday morning and Mara entered the carriage feeling nervous for what was to come. An hour later they were back at Ashwood and she had not encountered Draco. She quickly made her way to her quarters and took off her coat and placed it on the chair.

A knock. The door opened.. and it was him.

"Welcome back", he said as he walked over to her with an inquisitive, nay probing gaze in his eyes.

"Thank you" she said timidly.

"Did you have a nice time in Archfield?" he wanted to know.

"Uh yes... Yes the wedding was lovely and Sarge's family is super friendly " she stammered.

"Great." replied before taking a short pause.

"You didn't say goodbye when you left" and he took a few steps towards her and she suddenly felt awful for not having done so.

"It was very early; I didn't want to wake you" she explained but he didn't seem to believe it and sighed.

"Still.. you could have.." he argued, taking another couple of steps into her direction and then taking a pause before speaking once more.

"Did...I do something wrong? Do... do you regret-", he began, a tad anxiously, hoping he had not done anything to upset her.

"No, no.. You did nothing wrong.. and I don't regret what we did" she said quickly upon which he took a breath of relief.

"Good.. ehm.. Well," and he cleared his throat "Welcome back as I said and I guess I'll see you later" he stated and he took a few steps away from her but all of the sudden stilled, turned and started to walk towards her and as per usual.. her heart started to beat faster whenever he was in her direct proximity.

"Do you feel tired from.. the trip?" he asked her to her confusion.

"No.. Not really", Mara truthfully answered as it had taken only an hour to travel back. This was an odd question to ask she found but maybe it was an innocent one? Maybe she and Draco had to go somewhere and fulfil a royal obligation (like they had done the other day with the opening of Astella's gallery).

He put his fingers on his jaw and brushed over it with his thumb and then briefly bit on his lips before saying something softly.. She believed he said something along the lines of 'Leidal' and it annoyed her because she knew that this "pet name" of his was only intended to mock her. It made her angry.. to think that he would just as easily go back to his earlier antics and she decided to call him out on it.

"Seriously DRACO. Are we back to calling me Leidal? I'll have you know it is insulting and super childish and-".

"I didn't say Leidal to you" he smirked.

"Oh...what did you say then?" she frowned, confused once more.

"I said..." and he closed the distance between them now by getting even more closer.

He tilted his head towards her, not to kiss her she noticed, but intent to speak into her ear so it seemed which he did because the next moment she finally understood what he had meant.

 ** _"I SAID.... LIE DOWN_**."

"For what it is worth.. Sorry about.. last night" he said out of the blue.

"It's alright Draco. Don't worry about it." she answered without looking at him.

"It's a shame really" Draco said as she glanced at her..

"I would have liked to kiss you again" he stated, and she stilled immediately and looked at him.

"You.. you want to-" Mara replied unsurely, swallowing the last part of her sentence.

"Yes but only if you would allow me of course" he stated as he glanced at her.

"So, the question is.." he said as he stepped closer to her.. "Would you let me?" he asked, and his gaze flickered briefly down her body and back to her eyes.

Draco then stepped forward to her, lazily in an attempt not to spook her and suddenly was close now, too close to comfort but she couldn't move as he was mesmerized by him and the moment. Draco gently placed the back of his hand on her cheek and she couldn't avert his gaze as much she wanted to. Perhaps she should have stopped him but that thought didn't occur to her especially not when he slowly tilted his head towards and bent forward.

His lips were soft, as she remembered but firm. He pulled back briefly after the first minute, to check if she was okay with what he was doing. The way she looked at him, lovingly, there was no other word to describe it told him enough and he bent down once more to capture her mouth.

She kissed him back shyly at first, but he was insistent and started to kiss her more instantly by taking her into his arms and speeding up the pace. He had now placed his hands on her face and gained access to her tongue. He allowed it to merge with his own, savouring her taste and all he wanted to do was prolong this moment and what could follow, forever.

Draco temporarily left her lips and started kissing her lower jaw and then her neck and Mara could not help but let out a gasp of surprise. Draco had now put his hands on her back, applying gentle pressure, guiding her down and before they both knew it they were falling to the ground and he gently placed her down. They were lying on a grass covered dune between two other ones and from the distance it was impossible to spot them.

He was on top of her now and she felt his weight on her and him positioning himself between her legs. The feeling was a tad unnerving yet at the same time it felt like it was meant to be. He was stroking her with his fingers, from top to bottom wanting her to get used to his touches.

She in return slowly ran her hand over his back to do some exploration herself and Mara found that he was a lot more muscular than she had thought initially and felt his muscles stretch at every move. Not long after feeling his soft lips on hers again he had suddenly cupped her breast, gently but firm at the same time and Mara let out another gasp to which he was not perturbed about.

Instead, he started to rub over her left breast, up and down and he was lost in it he seemed as if he couldn't help but feel her like that. His movements became more insistent as he cupped the other breast and gripped it, rubbing it firmer than he had before and at that point Mara couldn't hold back any longer. She had tried to remain silent before but unwillingly she had moaned in pleasure to her horror and she felt ashamed somehow. He pulled back a moment and stared down at her.

For a moment Mara felt utterly mortified and thought well he must have realized his mistake, he would retreat soon but it was nothing like that.. No, because as he was looking at her, he started to unbuckle his belt, never taking his eyes from her in the process, as if he were conveying a message. It seemed to be 'is this okay, stop me now if you want me to' but she didn't intervene. She didn't stop him when he had finally unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his shirt. She didn't stop Draco when she felt him pushing down his trousers and didn't when he lied down on her once more, this time nestling himself in her hair, his heart beating as fast hers was.

This time she took the initiative, she took hold of his face with her hands and guided it to her mouth. To Draco, that was the last confirmation he needed, and he started to persistently stroke and caress her body.

In a way she should have been anticipated the move and should have known perhaps that he would touch her _right there,_ but it still perplexed her and caught her off guard. Mara jolted upwards and did the next time as he had started to let his fingers wander over the most intimate spot on her body and it made her lose whatever ability to coherently think. Then she felt it, his fingers going downwards, under the skirt of her dress, to reach for her underwear. He started to tug it downwards but kept looking at her, gauging her reaction but she wasn't worried and wasn't anxious somehow.

She did take a deep breath as she let him pull her underwear over her knees than completely off her. Mara was sure she looked crimson from embarrassment from head of toe, but she couldn't deny it.. she wanted this.

Ever since she married him, she wanted this to do happen and now it was happening, as surreal as it was..

He laid down on her and started to fumble with the decorative bow of her dress to untie and eventually succeeded.. He pushed away her sleeves and pulled her dress down, revealing her white petticoat to him and much more bare skin on her chest and to taste more of her he began to place kisses on her chest, but it wasn't enough no.. he had to see her. _All of her._

Not being able to take it anymore he then also tugged down the sleeves of the petticoat underneath, rendering her discombobulated but also.. bare to him. She could see him swallowing the lump in his throat before he very carefully started to kiss her face, then her jaw, her neck, making his way down to her breasts.

He had cupped them again and started repeating what he did to earlier and the feeling was indescribable, overwhelming her even more so when had suddenly placed his lips on one of her nipples to suck. She gasped loudly and her hand shot out to his hair in a response, gripping it as he kept sucking and overstimulating all her senses. He repeated the same motion on the other nipple and Mara thought she could at any moment for, when she finally had the courage to look at him, had never seen something more erotic in her life.

She was now lying partially naked, with her chest bare to him and sans underwear but she still had the dress on. Yet there was no time to remove the garment for both sensed that it was time for.. more. She had felt the prove his arousal before as he was lying between her legs, but she had tried to.. ignore it so to speak but now Mara couldn't anymore.

As she was staring at the sky to prepare herself for the inevitable she heard him remove his drawers, then he gently crawled on top her, between her legs and this time she.. could something of ehm.. impact on her body.

He took hold of her chin to make her eyes meet his before he.. before he..

At the first push inside, she froze and was unable to move and she looked at him in astonishment. As their eyes were locked he pulled back only to push back in once more, farther this time.

She winced from the pain it caused her and reached for his arms to steady herself.. Sensing her discomfort, he had stopped moving, other from being.. _there_ and looked at her pain contorted face.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked.. She waited a moment to reply before she shook her head, giving him the permission to continue. He slowly retreated with his cock only to thrust back in completely this time. He let out a loud moan, something reminiscent of an "ahh" and he closed his eyes in pleasure as he prepared himself for the next thrust.

It wasn't as painful as the other ones Mara thought to her relief. The next minute, he lied down on top of her, his face close to her neck. He started to kiss her there again but this time more persistently and she moaned in response. He started to move slowly to let her adjust to him but if he was honest, he wanted nothing more than completely and utterly ravish her now.

Good God.. He was such an idiot. All these months he could have had her and he was wasting his time with Kath and Pans.. She felt like perfection, tight yet the same time she could take him, _all of him,_ to his delight.

The wind was howling, birds were flying over them and waves were crashing but all they were focused on were each other, the rest didn't matter so it seemed. He kissed her again and as kicked up the pace, ever so slightly. It ignited a reaction in Mara as she couldn't fool herself anymore as this was starting to feel pleasurable, the way he felt and moved inside her, everything about it was overwhelming her yet at the same time she didn't want it to end.

Draco had buried himself in her hair and placed his hands on her hips for support and had succumbed to losing control. Somewhere along the line he had started pounding her, hard and fast, and all Mara could do was hold on to him by gripping onto his arms. She was close to experience something wonderful, she could feel it, but she couldn't let herself go yet, unlike Draco who was now groaning loudly, his face contorted in pure pleasure and he couldn't stop, so he continued until he felt as if was going to 'break'.

He was close now, so close, close, to coming and coming inside her but she didn't want him to, he remembered. He pushed into her one more time and then let pulled out, spilling himself on her belly. He looked down at her, and they exchanged uncertain glances with each other, yet at the same time they knew something had now changed between them forever. He reached for her petticoat and wiped again the.. evidence of their love making before flopping next to her, trying to catch his breath. They lay there for a while, in silence, trying to recuperate until Mara suddenly flew forward.

"Oh my God!" she screamed.

"What... what is wrong?" he asked her worriedly thinking he had hurt her perhaps.

"Your parents, Theo and Dante were supposed to come for brunch today!," she almost shouted and she got up and quickly dressed herself.

" ** _Is that it?_** Don't worry. They'll wait" he sighed exhaustedly for he still had not recovered.

"BUT THEY ARE EXPECTING US"! she shouted before pleading next.

"Get up please", she pleaded but he wouldn't budge.

"I cannot.. I will need some time for I will be able to.", he retorted with a smile as he moved and now laid down on his back.

"DRACO! For God's sake.. Please hurry!" she shouted as she tried not to look at him, too embarrassed, even if his .. private parts were covered by his shirts.

"What do you expect of me, we just had- "he tried to interject for she cut him off.

"Yes.. I am aware what we just did. No need to remind me. Just.. let's go! You know what.. I'll go ahead to not cause any suspicion and I need to go to my room.. to.. to change ", she stated with a flush.

"No wait. I'll come with," and he begrudgingly dressed himself and she patiently waited.. When he was done they started walking into the direction of the castle but refrained initially from conversation.

"Are.. are you okay? Did.. it hurt much?" he asked her out of the blue and she timidly shook her head.

"Good.. The pain lessens you know.. the more you.. it gets better uhm do it so to speak" he smirked, and she just stared at him in astonishment.

"There will be.. another time, right.. I mean.. I uhm would want to have one" he admitted. She didn't answer just yet because she had not regained the ability to think normally again yet. Oh, bloody hell. There they were.. In the garden. Everyone. They were early as well as far as Mara could tell by the clock in the courtyard.

Dante was surprised to see them coming from the beach, together for one, which was odd to begin with but also both looking.. dishevelled, as if they had hurriedly... got.. dressed which was strange because _why._. would they.. have to?..

_OH..._

**_Oh, he thought._ **

"Ah there they you are.. We were wondering where you guys were" Dante said with a knowing smile.

"The weather is lovely today is it not? I presume it was lovely to be on the beach?" he grinned ever so slightly at the pair.

"Yes it was very lovely brother." Draco grinned back and Mara wanted to slap him there and then but refrained from doing so..

"Well.. I uh think it is best that you might.. want to change, dear", Narcissa said as her gaze went to her ruined dress.

"Yes.. yes.. You are right, I will" and she sped away as fast as she could.

The brunch that followed was incredibly uncomfortable as was the rest of the evening because unfortunately for Mara everyone stayed longer than was planned and so she had no other choice feigning an excuse of not feeling well and retreated, where she after taking a bath, succumbed to exhaustion and slept the whole night.

**********************

She had left the next day, which was a Monday, quite early and had not said goodbye to him. Mara told herself she hadn't want to wake Draco, like that was the reason but it wasn't. In reality..

Mara felt anxious to see him and slightly.. embarrassed... she didn't regret what happened, but it still was kind of.. strange and something was different now she felt.. Well anyway.. the trip to Archfield couldn't have come at a better time. Sarge's family was indeed lovely, sweet, and hospitable and they had taken her sightseeing. The wedding on Friday was a small affair but Mara had enjoyed herself a great deal as she was swept to the dance floor repeatedly by Sarge's family and himself.

The trip back was scheduled for Saturday morning and Mara entered the carriage feeling nervous for what was to come. An hour later they were back at Ashwood and she had not encountered Draco. She quickly made her way to her quarters and took off her coat and placed it on the chair.

A knock. The door opened.. and it was him.

"Welcome back", he said as he walked over to her with an inquisitive, nay probing gaze in his eyes.

"Thank you" she said timidly.

"Did you have a nice time in Archfield?" he wanted to know.

"Uh yes... Yes the wedding was lovely and Sarge's family is super friendly " she stammered.

"Great." replied before taking a short pause.

"You didn't say goodbye when you left" and he took a few steps towards her and she suddenly felt awful for not having done so.

"It was very early; I didn't want to wake you" she explained but he didn't seem to believe it and sighed.

"Still.. you could have.." he argued, taking another couple of steps into her direction and then taking a pause before speaking once more.

"Did...I do something wrong? Do... do you regret-", he began, a tad anxiously, hoping he had not done anything to upset her.

"No, no.. You did nothing wrong.. and I don't regret what we did" she said quickly upon which he took a breath of relief.

"Good.. ehm.. Well," and he cleared his throat "Welcome back as I said and I guess I'll see you later" he stated and he took a few steps away from her but all of the sudden stilled, turned and started to walk towards her and as per usual.. her heart started to beat faster whenever he was in her direct proximity.

"Do you feel tired from.. the trip?" he asked her to her confusion.

"No.. Not really", Mara truthfully answered as it had taken only an hour to travel back. This was an odd question to ask she found but maybe it was an innocent one? Maybe she and Draco had to go somewhere and fulfil a royal obligation (like they had done the other day with the opening of Astella's gallery).

He put his fingers on his jaw and brushed over it with his thumb and then briefly bit on his lips before saying something softly.. She believed he said something along the lines of 'Leidal' and it annoyed her because she knew that this "pet name" of his was only intended to mock her. It made her angry.. to think that he would just as easily go back to his earlier antics and she decided to call him out on it.

"Seriously DRACO. Are we back to calling me Leidal? I'll have you know it is insulting and super childish and-".

"I didn't say Leidal to you" he smirked.

"Oh...what did you say then?" she frowned, confused once more.

"I said..." and he closed the distance between them now by getting even more closer.

He tilted his head towards her, not to kiss her she noticed, but intent to speak into her ear so it seemed which he did because the next moment she finally understood what he had meant.

 ** _"I SAID.... LIE DOWN_**."


End file.
